


Out of the Jungle

by BatuuPrincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Squadron is the team, F/M, Mild Smut, Poe is Pope, Power Imbalance, Rey is the informant, Triple Frontier AU, mention of executions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-05 07:21:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18361298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/pseuds/BatuuPrincess
Summary: A Damerey/Triple Frontier AU.Ex-Special Forces operative Poe Dameron is working with local law enforcement in Jakku to take down the notorious drug lord Unkar Plutt. There he meets Rey, an employee of Plutt’s with secrets of her own. Despite Rey being his informant, they fall into a whirlwind romance.When an opportunity presents itself to take down Plutt once and for all, Poe brings Black Squadron in to finish the job. Loyalties are tested when the crew is faced with more money than they could imagine.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so here is a Triple Frontier AU that nobody asked for. A couple of warnings: With Rey as an informant and Poe as her handler, there is an inherent power imbalance here. I tried to write around it as much as possible, but it's still there and could be a little problematic. If that is not your thing, I would suggest skipping. There are also mentions of executions. Nothing is described graphically, but Rey tends to fixate on it a bit. Finally, the first chapter gets a little smutty, but the rest is a solid PG-13.

Rey paced the length of her rundown living room, sweat sliding down her back despite the dropping temperature. She paused in front of the window, watching the dark clouds roll in from the mountains. Rain was coming. But it wasn’t the rain she was waiting for.

She could kick herself for getting involved. It was bad enough she was wrapped up in whatever Plutt was up to. She really didn’t need the added complication of Pope. And then this promotion…

It had come out of the blue, Plutt taking her into the small back office in the middle of the city. He said it like it was something to be proud of, her loyalty earning her a place in the inner circle. No more bean counting for her. From now on, she’d travel with the cash to his private residence, ensuring the book and money made it to Plutt unscathed.

And now she had a choice. Either she could keep up the ruse that there was nothing more to her job than tallying the ledgers and keep seeing Pope or tell the man she was possibly falling for that she was the missing link to taking down the biggest drug lord in South America and risk having him disappear from her life for good.

Who was she kidding? Of course he would disappear as soon as he got Plutt. This wasn’t some grand romance set to sweeping music. He wasn’t going to rescue her from her shitty life and take her back to America. She was his informant, and he was using her to get close to his mark. End of story.

The fact was, they didn’t know anything about each other. They only used first names and Rey had serious doubts that his was even real. Did anyone actually name their kid Pope? It sounded like more of a nickname to her. He’d never asked how an Englishwoman with a working knowledge of Spanish had ended up employed by a South American kingpin. And she’d never asked what an American was doing helping the Jakku police when it was obvious they were in Plutt’s pocket.

But she wasn’t some naïve little school girl. Rey had been down here long enough to know how this would end. Badly. Sometimes she wondered why she put herself through it.

A creak at the front door alerted her to Pope’s arrival. At least, she hoped it was Pope. She really needed to stop leaving the door unlocked for him.

Rey moved into the kitchen so it didn’t look like she was waiting for him.

The clean scent of summer rain hit her nose as the door swung open, Pope careful the slide the lock as soon as he was inside.

“Rey?”

She sighed internally as he moved through the apartment, trying to look busy by pretending to scrub an already clean dish. It didn’t take him long to find her, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

“There you are. I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his breath warm on her ear.

She turned in his arms to face him, her eyes practically level with his as she took him in.

Oh yeah, that’s why she put herself through this.

Objectively, he was a beautiful man. Tan skin, short salt and pepper curls, warm brown eyes that crinkled when he laughed, an ass that just didn’t quit - it was no wonder she was drawn to him. And when combined with the charm that seemed to ooze off him naturally, she never really stood a chance.

His face was damp when she leaned over to kiss him, his mouth tasting like the black coffee he drank nonstop.

“C’mon, let’s get you dried off,” she said when they finally broke apart.

Not letting go of her hand, he tugged her back when she started to walk away. “I have a better idea.”

Now would be the time to tell him. Before they ended up naked and things got needlessly complicated (again). They’d only done this the once, so she could just call it a one-night stand and be done with it. An error in judgement that led to one (admittedly amazing) night, a story she could tell at parties once she got out of here. That time she seduced an American while living in Jakku.

But his talented mouth had found the spot on her neck that had her moaning all night the last time and all thoughts of truth and one-night stands promptly flew out of her head. Walking backwards, she let him lead her to the bedroom, peeling off his wet shirt on the way. Her hands slipped to his belt while he worked on her shirt, Rey lifting her arms so he could pull it up and over her head. Pants went next, Rey’s jeans dropping to the floor before she worked on Pope’s. He wore them so damn tight, she practically had to drag them off his hips. Underthings quickly followed, joining the growing pile of discarded clothes on her bedroom floor.

Then she was lost in the feeling of him. The drag of his calloused hands on the swell of her ass. The scrape of his 5 o’clock shadow against the sensitive skin on her neck. The silk of his hair as it slid through her fingers.

Dropping sucking little kisses along her jawline, he followed the path down her neck and across her collarbone, eventually taking one nipple into his mouth. He sucked first one and then the other into a peak, Rey’s head thrown back in a moan.

Hands ghosting down her hips, he hooked them behind her thighs and lifted her up, Rey’s legs wrapping his waist. He continued to pepper her chest with kisses as he walked her over to the bed, dropping her on the mattress with a bounce that made her giggle out loud. He followed her on to the bed.

Smiling down at her, his tongue flicked out across his bottom lip. “Is that a yes?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “That’s a yes.”

His eyes crinkled in that way she loved before he found her lips with his own, tongue begging entry. She parted her lips readily for him, tongue sliding against hers in a way that was already becoming familiar. In all her years, she’d never been kissed like this, like she was as necessary as breathing, like he couldn’t live without her. That was how Pope kissed her every time, with a reverence she had trouble not believing.

But she also knew that he was good at his job, his job being her right now. He had to be in this line of work. Otherwise he was dead.

Observant as always, he pulled back, brushing a stray hair out of her eyes. “Is something wrong?” Of course he noticed when she got lost in her own head. He was the most attentive person on the fucking planet.

But right now, she needed to be distracted, and Pope was probably the best distraction she’d ever had. “No, don’t stop.”

A quick look of concern flitted across his face, but he took her words at face value, kissing her with the same abandon as before, chests both heaving when they parted. Moving down her body, he kissed a line from throat to cunt, Rey shivering in pleasure when he finally put his mouth on her.

She spent the next few minutes writhing under his careful application of lips and tongue. It was such sweet torture as he brought her to edge over and over, just to back off right as she threatened to tumble over. Suddenly, he’d find the need to nibble on her thigh, or kiss just under her belly button, any place but where she needed him. By the third time, she was done with being teased.

“Pope?”

His head popped up from between her thighs. She couldn’t help but feel something when he actually licked his lips, shiny as they were with her arousal.

“Please.” It was a simple request, one he took in stride.

“Of course.” He gave her inner thigh one final kiss before diving back in, not stopping until she had shouted his name not once, but twice.

She closed her eyes as she attempted to catch her breath, the mattress shifting beneath her. When she opened her eyes, Pope was there, his lips no longer shiny. But she could still taste herself when he kissed her a few seconds later, her hands roaming down the soft planes of his stomach until she found his still-hard cock.

Hips jerking as she ran a loose fist over him, he continued to kiss her, her mouth swallowing his moans.

Normally, she would reciprocate, but she wasn’t in a giving mood. Instead, she pulled back and whispered, “I want you,” in Pope’s ear, a shudder going through him.

That’s all he needed to reach over her, finding the condoms they’d stashed in her bedside table the last time. He rolled it on in record time, pinching the tip before he rearranged her legs for the best angle.

He hovered over her on his forearms, her knees bent on either side of his ass. Leaning down, he kissed her.

“Ready?” he asked when he pulled back.

“Ready.”

His hand dipped out of sight between them, his fingers running over her cunt once just to be sure. He entered her achingly slow, Rey watching the sweat bead on his hairline while she accepted his length. Once he was seated fully inside her, he paused.

“Good?”

Rey nodded, ready to feel him move.

His hand brushed a rogue lock of hair out of her face. “You wanna go fast or slow?”

She thought about it a second before answering, “Fast.”

A smirk lit his face and then was pulling back and snapping his hips into her. The pace was brutal as requested, Rey barely able to keep up with his thrusts. Hands scrabbling across his skin, she brushed the small puckered scar on the back of his neck. For someone with a self-proclaimed bad back and knees, he sure could move. Her hand dipped between them to strum at her clit while he kissed her neck, his hips continuing to keep pace. It was the combination of the three that had Rey letting loose with a scream.

Now normally, Rey wasn’t particularly… vocal in bed, but something about being with Pope made her loud enough to make the neighbors bang on the shared wall.

They both collapsed in giggles, Pope burying his face in the crook of her neck as his hips stilled.

“They don’t seem to like the show.” Pope lifted back onto his elbows, smiling down at her.

“Well, maybe we should give them something to talk about.”

“I like the way you think.”

Gripping her legs, he wrapped them around his hips, Rey crossing her ankles over the top of his ass. Even without moving, this angle was better for both of them, his cock hitting a spot inside of her she’d only ever theorized about. Pope closed his eyes in concentration for a second. She took the opportunity to slide her hand through his hair, missing the longer curls he had when she met him.

There was no talking after that, just the rush of skin on skin, the pants and moans she was starting to associate with great sex. Or at least sex with Pope.

When they had both finished (and earned another sharp bang on the wall for their efforts), Pope rolled over to the other side of the bed, his eyes immediately falling closed after he dealt with the condom. Half asleep, he pulled her closer, Rey resting her cheek on his sweaty chest.

Absently, she played with the chain around his neck, ring glinting in the half-light of her bedroom. Before, when she caught glimpses of the chain peeking out of his shirt, she’d assumed it was his dog tags, some leftover habit from his days in the military keeping them around his neck. But then she’d taken his shirt off the first time they did this to find a small, silver ring dangling from the chain.

She bit back the questions that sprang to her mind. Was he married? Or had he once been? It had to mean something to him; as far as she could tell, he never took it off.

But all thoughts of the mysterious ring (and the even more mysterious woman it belonged to) left her mind as his heart pounded out a steady beat under her ear, lulling her to sleep. It was the middle of the day, but she had nowhere to be and the rain always made her sleepy…

“What’s your name?” she asked, emboldened in her half-awake state.

He mumbled the answer into her hair. “Pope.”

“No, your real name.”

That got his attention, his eyes shooting open in the soft light of her bedroom. He gave her a long look, a war waging inside of him.

“Poe,” he finally said, brushing the hair off her face to kiss her forehead. “Poe Dameron.”

It felt like a truth, like he had decided to put his trust in her.

It would have been the perfect time to give him a truth in return. The words were on the tip of her tongue. But something held her back.

Instead, she shifted into a more comfortable position in his arms, letting her eyes fall closed. “Nice to meet you, Poe.”

 

Later, after they’d napped and fucked (again), in that order, Rey watched from the bed as Poe pulled his blue henley back on.

“You hungry?” He ran a hand through his hair, an attempt to tame the massive case of bed head that had developed over the hours they spent in each other’s arms. The haircut was new, shorter than she’d ever seen it.

He wasn’t asking her out, they couldn’t even really be seen together outside these four walls, not without risking both their lives. All their meetings took place in crowded marketplaces, back alleys, places they could conceivably bump into each other.

She wasn’t sure when they started coming here. It had to be a couple months ago, long before anything happened between them. That’s right, it was the day they almost got caught by one of Plutt’s goons in the market. She’d led him down a back alley and straight to her door, trying not to cringe as he took in her crappy apartment.

Sad thing is, this wasn’t even worst place she’d lived. Not by a long shot.

Despite the peeling wallpaper and the cracks in the ceiling, she liked her little place, her oasis in a life filled with chaos. Though she knew her safety was just an illusion. Plutt could take her at anytime and make it look like she never existed at all.

She shoved all that down as Poe buckled his belt, waiting patiently for her answer.

“I could eat.”

He laughed, the running joke being she could _always_ eat. Years of growing up with little to no food had left her with a wiry frame that refused to put on weight no matter how much she ate and an insatiable appetite for anything put in front of her. To say she wasn’t picky would be the understatement of a lifetime.

“You want me to grab something? Then we can talk?”

Ah, there it was. She’d almost forgotten the transactional nature of their relationship, too wrapped up in the post-sex glow to be on guard. It left her feeling dirty.

But that didn’t stop her from popping on a smile for her audience. “Sure.”

“You have a taste for anything?” Stepping into his boots, he bent over to lace them with a grunt of pain, his knee cracking audibly.

“Surprise me.”

That made him smile, always happy to oblige. He crossed to where she sat up in bed, pressing his mouth to hers for a breathless second. “I’ll be back.”

She stayed silent as he left the room, listening for the click of the lock before she got out of bed.

Standing, she reached toward the ceiling, stretching the aching muscles in her back. A vertebra popped in response, overloud in the now silent apartment.  

He’d promised to get her out of here, a new identity and safe passage to a place Plutt could never find her. Because that was the only way out of this life. Well, that or the tennis court.

Plutt had been intentional the first day he brought her to his compound, hidden halfway up a mountain in the middle of the jungle. Playing the gracious host, he’d taken her on a grand tour, including a stop to the tennis courts. Bile rose in her throat when she remembered the line of men kneeling on the green clay, faces hidden behind grey bags, a not-so-subtle warning against what happened when you crossed Unkar Plutt. The gunshots, five in all, echoed through the courtyard, Rey closing her eyes to block out each corresponding thud.

It was an effective deterrent, and probably the only reason she hadn’t told Pope yet.

Moving in to the bathroom, her thighs like jello thanks to the afternoon’s activities, she turned on the water as hot as it would go, letting it run down her body. She needed to shower him off, to wash away the feeling that this was dirty or wrong.

The hot water ran out about the same time she heard Poe let himself back in, calling out her name so she knew it was him. It only took her heart ten or so beats to dislodge itself from her throat, the threat of Plutt coming after her always in the back of her mind.

Turning off the water, she dried off quickly, leaving her wet hair wrapped in the towel. She’d deal with it later.

She found him in the kitchen, pulling plates and glasses out of her cabinets. When had he become so familiar with her place? They’d only slept together twice (technically, three times, but who was counting), though they’d been meeting at her place for a while. Had he really memorized the layout of her kitchen?

The answer to that was apparently yes, Rey watching as he found her silverware on the first try.

“You smell nice.”

He hadn’t so much as looked up from the task at hand, but of course he knew she was standing there. There wasn’t much that escaped him.

“That smells better,” she replied, deciding to side-step the compliment.

And it did. Smoky and earthy and meaty, whatever he brought back smelled like heaven on earth. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled in response. He handed her a fork, opening one of the carryout containers.

Steam billowed off the grilled meats, potatoes, and corn, the spices making her mouth water. He opened the second container, Rey helping herself to an arepa before digging in.

They ate in silence, both trying to delay the inevitable.

Finally, when both containers were empty and Rey’s waistband uncomfortably tight, Pope (Poe? She wasn’t sure what to call him anymore) leaned back in his chair. “So, what have you got for me?”

Another opportunity for her to come clean. It was like the universe was giving her an out, a chance to confess what she knew and Plutt take down. Possibly for good. If she told him now, it would never be a secret between them.

He leaned toward her, elbows on the table, his eyes imploring her to give up, confess, unburden her soul.

She took a deep breath. “The discoteca. He’s running operations out of the old discoteca.”

It was good information, though certainly not the most damning thing she knew. But for Pope, it was enough.

“Goddamnit!” He smiled as slapped a palm flat on the table, Rey jumping at the sound. “I knew it! He’s been in town the whole time.”

With that, he stood, pacing in the small space in her kitchen not taken up by the table and chairs.

“But that’s still not big enough for the entire operation. He must be...” He was off in his own world now, spinning off theories one after the other, each less plausible than the last.

“Poe?”

“...must be hiding it…”

“Poe,” she tried again, a little more forceful this time.

“...the jungle. But how is he getting it there…”

“Poe!”

That finally got his attention. He looked at her like he was coming out of a dream, his eyes distant and unfocused.

“Are you staying?” she asked, trying not to sound like she was hoping he would.

His face gave a good impression of regret. “You know I can’t. I gotta chase this lead.” And just like that, a switch had been flipped. He kissed her forehead, already on his way out the front door. “I’ll be back soon.”

At least she knew that wasn’t a lie. He’d need more info as he planned what was sure to be a raid on the old dance hall.

The front door closed with a final click, Rey left with only the dirty dishes and her secrets.

***

Poe waited until he was around the corner from Rey’s apartment to take out his frustration on an old wooden fence. His knuckles would be bruised tomorrow, but the pain seemed to ground him. It was a stupid thing to do, but apparently stupid was his new modus operandi.

He’d told her his fucking name.

Not the safe one, the nickname bestowed upon him by his buddies in Black Squadron that would lead to no official documentation, but the real one. The one that could bring up current address, last known associates, and a whole slew of other information that could get him killed down here.

When had he gotten so sloppy? Well, at least he knew the answer to that question.

It was Rey. Of course it was Rey.

Despite the good-natured jabs he’d endured for years about how pretty his informants tended to be, he’d never actually crossed that line. It wasn’t like he had trouble getting laid. And he certainly wasn’t into taking advantage of poor and desperate women. Just the thought of using someone like that made his stomach churn.

But then he’d met Rey.

They had stumbled upon each other organically, striking up a conversation while shopping on a sunny Saturday afternoon. After half an hour spent flirting back and forth in Spanish, he’d been shocked when she greeted a “friend from work” in the Queen’s English. It had been a secondary shock when he realized that the friend was a high-ranking associate of the notorious drug lord Unkar Plutt.

Thankfully, the man didn’t recognize him (nobody did, he was practically a ghost here) or he would have been shot on sight.

Poe had made his excuses, leaving her to regroup. He’d been struggling since his arrival in Jakku to find an informant, someone he could trust to get the information he needed on Plutt’s operations. Rey presented the perfect opportunity. He needed to distance himself from the woman, whose pretty eyes and open smile he couldn’t get out of his head.

A smarter man would have left her alone, found another way in to Plutt’s inner circle. He was already attracted to her. It was dangerous territory. But apparently, Poe was not as smart as he liked to think.

So, he ran into her again, this time on purpose. It wasn’t hard. He had her first name and a few details about her from their conversation. That’s all he needed. The intention had been to keep it professional, just like every other time he worked with an informant. He’d lasted three months.

When he looked back, he could trace all the stupidity back to the day she’d taken his hand and dragged him through the back alleys to her apartment. That’s when he started crossing lines and breaking rules and overstepping boundaries. The #1 rule was to always meet in a neutral location. Once he broke that first one, the rest came easy.

When he reached for her hand to comfort her after yet another person she worked with went missing. Easy.

A quick hug when he left her place. No problem.

Leaning over to close the distance between them, her lips tasting like the wine they’d just drank. Zero hesitation.

They’d crossed the final line less than a week ago. It was his fault. He should have stopped it when she kissed him. He should have stepped back when she ran her blunt fingertips through his hair. He should have moved her hands when she ran them under his shirt, warm palms on the bare skin of his chest.

But he was only a man. And a weak one at that.

So they’d slept together. A one-night stand could have been written off, a mistake he could step back and rectify. But now he’d come back for more. The memory of her moaning and clenching around him haunted his every waking thought until it finally brought him back to her door. He knew it was a mistake even as he was making it, but when she’d asked for his real name, he couldn’t deny her. Not after he’d already broken every other rule he’d ever made for himself.

It was fear that had him taking a step back, trying to bring things back around to the professional. The way her face fell when he asked for information did not escape his notice. It killed him to watch her try to hide her disappointment. He’d never felt like a bigger dick.

He wanted to take her in his arms, apologize. Tell her that he’d never done something like this before. He had no clue what he was doing, no idea how to navigate something this complicated.

But then she’d told him about the club and he forgot to hate himself for a few minutes while he wrapped his mind around the intel. This could be the big break he’d been looking for. A way to take Plutt down for good.

And then she brought him crashing back down to reality.

_“Are you going to stay?”_

She sounded so full of hope, especially when she used his name. It was a not-so-subtle reminder of his stupidity, the pillow talk that would probably be his downfall.

And what if she went digging, found out what that name had done? He knew it was impossible - half his life had been redacted at this point - but it still crossed his mind. Would she still be here if she knew what he’d done in the name of his country? His job had never been rainbows and butterflies. He was part of the team you called in when you needed hands to get dirty.

So he’d made an excuse (lies) and ignored that look of disappointment on her face for the second time that day, getting out the door as fast as humanly possible.

Now, he shook out his hand, the pain starting to register. The middle knuckle was split and swollen. Thank god no one had seen his little display. It was bad enough he’d done it so close to Rey’s house, he didn’t need witnesses to contend with. Especially when they could trace where he’d been.

No, it would be better to deal with this at his own place across town. A shower would be nice, and then he had a call to make. If they were going to take down Plutt, they needed a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey continue to grow closer, even as she keeps her new job a secret. When Poe's operation goes wrong, both Rey and Poe risk being exposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at the time I said the rest of this was PG-13, that was true. Now, it is not. This chapter gets a little dirty about halfway through.
> 
> Also, there are more mentions of execution (still nothing graphic).

Goddamnit, she was going to kill Finn.

Everything had been going according to plan. Poe was working with the local police to plan a raid on the old club that acted as a front for Plutt’s operations. Rey had begun making the weekly cash drops. Plutt was trusting her more with each passing day. And she would get herself (and Finn) out of this godforsaken jungle.

Poe had been around more and more lately, ostensibly for information, but even Rey was starting to wonder. Despite all of his earlier assertions it was too dangerous, that he couldn’t get caught coming and going from her place, he’d started to spend the night with her more often than not.

It had been an accident the first time, both of them falling asleep after an acrobatic evening (who would have guessed he liked to be tied up) only to be woken up by the sun streaming across their faces the next day. The next time it had been intentional, a change of clothes and a toothbrush making their way to her apartment with him. Now, it wasn’t even a question of intentional or not. The change of clothes and toothbrush lived in the top drawer of her dresser. A phone charger appeared on the little table next to his side of the bed. He had a fucking side of the bed.

If she squinted, they looked like a normal couple. But the truth always lingered in the back of her mind.

They were using each other, there was no way around it. If she worried about him when he was out working, it was natural. He had a dangerous job, one that could claim his life at any time. And if that happened, then what would she be left with? An empty promise from a dead man, a career in money laundering, and, eventually, a date with destiny on Unkar Plutt’s tennis court.

She refused to acknowledge anything that didn’t fit into that viewpoint. The little gifts he brought her - her favorite foods, a book she mentioned wanting to read once, a scarf that “made him think of her”? All part of his master plan. The toothbrush, extra clothes, phone charger, and hair products that had taken up permanent residence at her place? Convenience. The way he kissed her after his work or hers kept them apart for a few days? Just an act.

And yet she was still in love with him.

Not that she would admit it to anyone. Though it was pretty obvious.

But that was a problem for another day, because when she walked in to the discoteca that morning with her armed escort to pick up the cash for the weekly drop, Finn was there, gun in hand, standing guard over the back room.

Finn had been like a brother to her growing up in London, watching out for her as they bounced from foster home to foster home across the city. That is, until Rey was placed with a kind old man who ended up becoming like a grandfather to them both.

The Kenobi years had been some of the best of her life. For the first time in memory, she’d had clothes that fit and a full belly, someone to not only check her homework, but come see her in the school play. He even took Finn under his wing, making sure her best friend was fed and clothed and not running around with holes in his trainers.

When Old Ben died shortly after A-levels, her entire future went up in flames. Any hope of going to university died with him. His family wasted no time turning her out on the street. They needed to sell the house, and she was of age. Their conscience was clear.

Left with a bit of money and with nowhere else to go, she and Finn decided to travel, ending up here in Jakku. They were only planning on staying a week or two. That was nearly seven years ago.

She kept her face neutral as she walked past him, trying not to let her surprise show. Two days ago, he’d been working as a bouncer at one of Plutt’s legitimate businesses. What the fuck was he doing here?

The raid was going down tomorrow at noon and Finn wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near this place. The weapon in his hand - something semi-automatic, Rey had no clue about guns - was most definitely illegal, probably used in multiple crimes across the city. He’d be arrested for sure.

She needed to warn him, but there was no way she could do it here without tipping off the rest of Plutt’s people and buying herself a one-way ticket to the tennis courts. The best she could hope for was to let him know she needed to talk to him.

An opportunity presented itself almost immediately when Finn ended up as one of the guards who followed her into the back room.

“Hey,” she breathed out of the corner of her mouth. The trick was to keep her voice level, eyes never leaving the man filling her canvas bags with cash. “We need to talk.”

Finn didn’t miss a beat. “I’m here tomorrow morning. Break’s at 10.”

That would be plenty of time for her to come up with a fake emergency that got him out of here. It was no secret that they were friends, no one would bat an eye at her stopping by during his break.

How did they end up here? She knew the answer, but the whole thing still felt like a bad dream.

It had started out as a job, one that paid a suspicious amount of money, but neither she nor Finn were in a position to look closely. They wanted to stay, and the money was good. By the time they realized who they were working for, it was too late. Turns out, you didn’t just walk away from Unkar Plutt.

Cash bagged and ready to go, she handed over the ledger she protected with her life. The man signed his name next to the amount, Rey verifying everything was in order before signing herself. If there was so much as a dollar misplaced, someone had to pay the price. And Rey was hellbent on making sure it wasn’t her.

Their business concluded, her guards picked up the bags, lugging them through the club and into the van. Rey followed, hugging the ledger to her chest.

Rey had grown used to the silent drive up to Plutt’s compound over the last three months. The first few times, she’d chattered away nervously, the only way to keep her bone-deep terror at bay. Now, as she watched the jungle pass by the passenger window, she thought about how adaptable humans were. You could get used to anything given enough time.

The drop went smoothly, and it was early evening by the time Rey made it back to the city. Rain poured down as she scuttled back to her apartment, cursing herself for forgetting an umbrella that morning.

The smell of cooking garlic hit her as she walked through the door, dumping her wet jacket on a side table.

It wasn’t a surprise to find Poe in the kitchen (he had a key, after all). More often than not, he cooked dinner for her on the Wednesdays she worked late. If he only knew the real reason.

“Rey, is that you?” he called out, never taking his eyes off the pot he was stirring on the stove.

Poe jumped when she answered a little closer than he expected. She smiled to herself. He must be distracted if she could sneak up on him like that.

Closing the distance in two steps, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. He smelled so good there, like the clean scent of his cologne. Nothing at all like the cheap American body spray most of the men around here preferred.

“Mmm, that smells good,” she purred in his ear, not sure if she was talking about the food or Poe.

“An Italian feast.” He turned to kiss her on the cheek. “Check the garlic bread?”

Disentangling herself from him, she walked over to the oven, opening the door an inch to peek at the bread. It still needed a minute, so she leaned against the counter and watched him work.

Somehow he even made the kitchen of her crappy apartment look good. Honestly, she could have afforded something better by now (despite the saying, crime really did pay), a cute one-bedroom in the new part of town, but that would have brought up questions she still wasn’t ready to answer.

They sat down to eat ten minutes later, Rey stuffing herself on the pasta. Of course, Poe made his own sauce from scratch. Sometimes it seemed like there was nothing the man couldn’t do. It was all so domestic, she almost forgot that tomorrow could change everything. If this went well, if he got what he needed, then she could be well on her way out of this place same time tomorrow.

As long as he got his hands on the ledgers she knew were in the safe, he’d have what he needed to bring down Plutt’s business in Jakku. Names, dates, amounts, those books contained everything. Her own name would be in there more than once, but Poe assured her the immunity agreement she’d signed would absolve her of those sins. She could only hope that the Jakku police would honor the agreement. Plutt paid them well for a reason.

But all that seemed to be the furthest thing from Poe’s mind. In fact, he looked downright relaxed as he leaned back to watch her finish her plate.

“What?”

He shook his head, a half smile playing across his face as he leaned over to brush a smudge of sauce from her cheek. “Nothing. You’re just cute, that’s all.” His lips followed, touching the same spot he’d just wiped before she turned to kiss him properly.

The dishes lay forgotten while they made their way back to her bedroom. It didn’t matter that she just ate her body weight in carbs. Honestly, she could still eat, but this seemed like a much better use of time.

Their clothes marked a trail from the kitchen to her bed, a little treasure map they’d use to retrace their steps later.

Following him on to the bed, she straddled his hips as he kissed her neck, relishing the touch of his skin on hers. Every time could be their last, but this felt more final. And Rey resolved to enjoy herself.

Speaking of, she could feel him growing hard between her legs, her hips grinding down to find a little friction as he took a nipple into his mouth. They both moaned at the unexpected contact.

Poe moved on to the other nipple before Rey pulled his face up to meet hers, their tongues tangling in an open-mouthed kiss. His hands skated across the sensitive on her sides, her giggle breaking the kiss.

He was staring at her again, that sweet little smile on his face.

“What?”

“I didn’t know you were ticklish.” He ran his hands over her sides again, more deliberate this time, things quickly turning heated again as Rey squirmed in his lap.

One of his hands dropped between them to stroke at her entrance, dipping first one and then a second finger into her cunt.

“Shit, you’re so wet,” he murmured into her lips, his hips making needy little movements.

His fingers were hitting her just so, Rey could barely get out, “Condom. Now.” before he stole her breath completely.

She realized she hadn’t thought it through when Poe’s fingers left her body. The little whimper that escaped her lips at his departure would have made her blush if she had been capable of it anymore.

He kissed her softly, his fingers damp on the back of her neck. “I’ll just be a second, promise.” he said, rolling her off his lap.

True to his word, he was back in a second, condom in hand. Taking the foil packet from him, she ripped it open, sliding the latex down the length of him.

With his hands on her hips, she seated herself on him, slowly, so slowly, her legs quaked from the effort of holding herself up until he was fully sheathed inside her.

Poe’s hands slid up the knobs of her spine, careful now to avoid the ticklish spots as he waited for her to move. A second passed before she lifted onto her knees and dropped back down, her hips rolling on the downstroke. Poe kissed every inch of her skin he could reach as she rose again, this time Poe thrusting up to meet her. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she groaned into his neck as they found their rhythm.

Digging her nails into his shoulder blades, she held on for dear life. By now, Poe knew exactly what she needed, reaching down between them to bring her closer. Holding her breath while she chased the feeling, she came with a sharp exhalation, Poe working her through it until she stilled against his chest.

Calloused hands rubbed her back while she caught her breath, but she could still feel him, hard, inside her.

She knew exactly what to do.

His eyes widened in surprise when she pushed him onto the bed, his back hitting the mattress with a thud. Using his chest for leverage, she lifted and dropped back down on his cock, guiding his hands to her hips. She let him set the pace, fingers digging into her soft flesh.

When he started fucking her with short, needy strokes, she knew he was close. It only took another half a minute for his eyes scrunch closed as he came with a shout.

She climbed off of him, hissing at the drag as he left her body. Poe pawed at her. He always wanted her close after he came.

“Stay.”

She smiled, bending over to his him before answering. “I’ll be right back.”

Rolling off the bed, she left him to catch his breath while she peed, careful to clean herself up in the bathroom. At the sink, she splashed water on her overheated skin, catching her reflection in the mirror.

Face flushed, she looked thoroughly fucked, her hair in a rat’s nest around her head. A hickey had formed on the top of her shoulder, a little purple splotch she didn’t even remember getting. Oh well, at least her shirt would cover this one.

Grabbing a spare towel, she walked back into the bedroom, Poe sitting up and waiting for her in bed. She tossed the towel at him and crawled into bed, letting him clean himself up before flicking off the light.

Rey tucked herself under his arm, her eyes already falling closed when he broke the silence.

“Hey, are you up?”

“Mmm,” was her mumbled answer.

“Promise me you won’t be anywhere near that club tomorrow.”

Not bothering to open her eyes, she answered, “Yeah, of course.”

“No, I need you to promise me.”

The panic in his voice finally got her to open her eyes, his own shining down at her. Even in the dark room, she could make out the worry etched into the lines of his face.

“I promise.”

If he heard the lie in her voice, he was kind enough to ignore it. “Thank you,” he whispered as they both drifted off.

 

It didn’t surprise her when she woke up alone the next morning, weak sunlight streaming in her window. Her clothes from last night sat neatly folded on the bedside table. Any other day, it would have annoyed her that he left without saying goodbye, but that morning she had an important errand to run and it was better if Poe had no idea where she was going.

So what if she promised him to stay away from the club? This was Finn she was talking about, a friend so old he was family. In fact, he was her only family. It was almost too easy to justify the trip as she pulled on a fresh pair of jeans. She’d be in and out long before Poe and the Jakku police showed up. He’d be none the wiser.

She couldn’t help but notice the frantic energy as she walked through the empty club. Twice as many guards were posted, with some of the runners and their girlfriends milling around awaiting further instructions. It was odd, but she wasn’t worried. Plutt pulled shit like this all the time, it could have nothing to do with Poe’s planned raid. Or it could have everything to do with the raid. If Poe was working with Diego and his squad, then it was highly likely they were already in Plutt’s pocket. But she still had plenty of time, and she needed to warn Finn.

Speaking of Finn, he was running late, so she let herself into the back room with her key to wait. Although she’d just done the pickup yesterday, there was over $400k in fresh cash waiting to go in the safe. A quick check of the ledger showed that they had delivered it last night, shortly after the run she made.

And the rest of the ledgers were gone. Shit, something was definitely off. She needed to get Finn and get the hell out of here.

He finally showed up at 10:15. “Hey, I gotta make this quick. There’s some kind of important guest, so they called a bunch of us in.”

“Finn, we have to get out of here. They’re coming to take this place down-”

“What the hell are you talking about? Who’s coming?”

“The police.” She grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door. “Nevermind, we need to-”

A booming voice just outside the building cut her off.

“This is the police. We have you surrounded. Drop your weapons and come out with your hands behind your heads and you will not be harmed.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” She ran to the front of the building to look out the window. Sure enough, half of Jakku’s police force was parked out front, armed to the teeth, every gun pointed at the club. Boots stomped up the stairs, Rey taking off before the guards saw her. Maybe if they barricaded themselves in the office…

Rey had just closed the door when the sound system came on with a screech of feedback. They both covered their ears, the bass pounding in her chest. Or maybe that was just her heart.

This wasn’t happening. She had another hour and a half. But she could hear more and more people coming up the stairs, crowding in to the front room.

There was a shot from inside the building, followed three seconds later by a horrific boom from across the street.

Poe.

He’d be out there, and knowing him, directly in the line of fire. But she couldn’t think about that, not when she needed to figure out how to get out of here, the adrenaline pounding through her veins.

She wrenched open the door just as Plutt’s men opened fire, Rey throwing herself to the ground before the police fired back.

Women screamed, men shouted, the entire block was thrown into chaos around them. She grabbed as many people as she could and brought them to safety in the back. There they huddled for a tense five minutes as the police and their coworkers exchanged shots back and forth, the firefight ending when an explosion rocked the building.

Dust choked the air, pieces of the ceiling coming down around them as they struggled to make sense of what was going on. They were still coughing when the police breached the door, dragging them out one-by-one to face their punishment.

The cop who zip tied her hands was sloppy, securing her wrists without a second glance. He didn’t even try to make her put her hands together, accepting her fists as she presented them side by side. As soon as he’d moved on to the next person, she tested the fit. Plenty of room to wiggle out of the plastic. She wouldn’t even need to use one of the methods Poe taught her.

They marched them to the front of the building. Rey had barely registered the gaping hole in the building and the pile of dead bodies before she met familiar chocolate brown eyes.

Poe was standing in the middle of the rubble, his face impassive as he watched them get lead out of the back rooms. She could tell the second he registered her face. There was a flicker of annoyance accompanied with a moment of pure terror before he clamped down his expression, his eyes roving past her like she was just another perp. When she turned around, he had disappeared.

Someone shouted in the other room. Something about Plutt’s location and a snitch.

Her breath hitched, panic flooding her chest. If they knew she was a snitch, it was all over. Prison would be a blessing compared to what Plutt would do to her. But if they _had_ found her out, she’d never make it that far. A tremor went through her at the thought.

Poe reappeared with a deep scowl on his face. Apparently, things weren’t going according to plan for him either.  A shot went off in the other room, followed by two more in quick succession. Poe didn’t even attempt to hide his disapproval, wincing right along with Rey at each shot.

Poe eyes locked on to hers, the conflict plain on his face. This wasn’t what he signed up for either.

Well, what did he expect? The cops were on Plutt’s payroll. Did he really believe they were any better than the drug dealers?

Of course he did, because Poe was better than them all. It was the thing that had drawn her to him in the first place, his unshakable belief in the system. It was cute, if a little naïve. But the system had screwed Rey over far too many times for her to believe in it anymore.

At some point, she started to shake, certain she was next, that someone had figured her out. But when Diego came out, he was too concerned with covering his own tracks (some nonsense monologue about assaulting a police officer) to pay any attention to her.

They were led down the steps and into the street by the self-satisfied captain. A crowd had gathered now that the fighting was over, people coming out of the woodwork to watch Plutt’s goons get theirs. It was hard to see herself like that, but she knew it was the truth. She was not one of the good guys here.

Her mind went into overdrive as she waited to be put in the back of one of the vans. She’d worked her hands free of the tie, now she only needed a plan and an opportunity.

Poe stood off to the side, watching her shuffle forward in line. The cop in front was helping them up by the elbow. If she twisted just the right way with her hands free, she’d have a few seconds of surprise before anyone even thought about chasing after her. No one but Poe was paying any attention to them, the rest too caught up in congratulating themselves to notice anything.

Lifting her head, she met Poe’s eyes, a moment of recognition passing between them. He’d help her in any way he could.

Now, it was her turn. When the officer went to grab her elbow, she struck out, leaving the empty zip tie in his hand. Spinning out of his grasp, she made straight for Poe, not disappointed when he subtly blocked the man standing next to him from reaching her. Poe took off after her.

They needed to make this look good.

A quick assessment of the area had her sprinting up a steep hill between two buildings. If she remembered correctly, this let out near a set of stairs which led to more stairs which ended up at the top of a hill. It was probably mean to use the knowledge against him, but with the current state of his knees, there was no way Poe would make this hill _and_ two sets of stairs. She could lose him and make it look like an accident.

Halfway up the second stairway, she made the mistake of looking back, thinking she’d already lost him. She cursed when she realized how close he was, putting on a burst of speed that threatened to kill her at this altitude. She forgot that despite the years he had on her (and there were a few), he was still special forces. If he didn’t have the bum knees, this would have a very different ending.

Even with the knees, he was a little too close for comfort.

With a final push, she found herself at the top of the hill, darting through an unlocked door. For a split second, she thought she’d boxed herself into a corner, nowhere to go but right back into police custody, but she found a window big enough to squeeze through on the back side of the apartment. She dropped onto the stones and dirt peppering the hillside, sliding as she misjudged the slope.

Looking back, she realized there was no one following, no sound of the bikes sent after her, but she refused to slow down until she was safely behind her own locked door.

Back against the solid wood, she slid down until her ass hit the ground. A sob escaped her lips as she buried her face in her bent knees, trying her hardest not to puke on the wood floor.

This wasn’t happening. The police would be looking for her, her face plastered all over town. Unless Plutt stepped in. Then she’d be even more indebted to the man. Maybe it was better to be hunted than owned.

And Finn. Oh god, Finn. There would be no one trying to get him out. People like him were a dime a dozen to Plutt.

How had this day gone so wrong?

She stayed on the ground until her breathing slowed and her stomach settled, eventually making her way to the kitchen. Turning on the faucet, she let the water run cold before she alternated splashing her face and taking tentative sips from her cupped hands.

The scratch of a key in the lock set her heart racing again. Poe had finally caught up with her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the raid on the club doesn't go according to plan, Rey finally shares her secret with Poe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank to the excitement of the amazing teaser trailer (and name!) for Episode IX today, I couldn't resist posting a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Quick warning - there is some violence here and mentions of dead bodies.

Poe sat in the helicopter, Metallica drowning out the whir of the blades. It was terrible for his hearing, but he was old enough now not to care.

Leaning out the open door of the chopper, he looked down at the road below, watching the SUVs - the rest of their team - make their way to the target.

He’d snuck out of her bed that morning like the coward he was, too worried that he’d say something he couldn’t take back if he stuck around. So he’d untangled himself from her limbs, careful not to jostle the bed lest he wake her. After dressing and pulling on his gear, he stood at the edge of the bed, watching her sleep for a breathless moment.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but he could still count every freckle on her face, sleep smoothing out the weariness that lined her every waking expression. Unable to stop himself, he leaned over, placing a kiss on her half-parted lips.

In the helicopter, he shook his head, forcing his attention back to the task at hand.

Clicking the music off, he listened for a second to the chatter coming over his headset. Standard shit, nothing requiring more than a nod from him. Not that they wanted his input, anyway. Everything he’d planned for this mission had been changed or scrapped in favor of much dumber ideas from the local police. But he was a guest here. As long as they got Plutt, it didn’t matter.

His stomach dropped as they landed on a patch of dirt just outside the city. This was the old part of town, nothing but makeshift buildings and rickety staircases that lead to the main road. Children peeked out of doorways and alleys as they walked by, parents pulling them back into the shadows. They all knew what was about to happen.

Around the corner and two staircases later, Poe found himself on the roof of a building opposite the discoteca Rey had told him about. He bent at the waist, trying to keep below the low wall around the edge of the roof.

Looking over the wall, he had a bird’s-eye view of the activity on the ground, vehicles arriving and creating the perimeter. Someone got on a bull horn to let Plutt know he was surrounded, give him and his people a chance to come out with their hands behind their heads.

Something was off from the start.

Music started blaring out of the club, some shitty song about hips from a couple of years ago. Poe looked over to the captain in charge of the operation.

“How many did you say were in there?” he asked in Spanish.

“No more than ten.” Captain Diego was lying through his teeth.

Annoyed, he turned back to the club in time to watch the rocket launch out of the second-story window and into one of the police vehicles.

It was like a sign, the vehicle not even finished flipping over before their hiding spot was being peppered by bullets. Bent in half, he crossed the roof, pulling out his sidearm as he went. It wouldn’t do much against the semi-automatics Plutt’s people were using, but it made him feel slightly less vulnerable.

For a split second, Rey crossed his mind. What would happen to her if he died here, if he never showed up at her door again? Would she wonder or would she know? Who was he kidding, of course she’d know. Hell, she’d helped him plan this.

Out of the corner of his eye, Poe noticed the officer next to him standing to get a better shot. Idiot. He shouted for him to get down, but it was already too late. He guided the body down with one hand, the gaping hole in his forehead telling Poe there was nothing else he could do.

Something clicked in his brain, the years of training taking over. It may not have been his bust, but he was by far the most qualified to run this operation. As such, he took control of the situation.

“You guys hold this position,” he shouted at the captain over the still booming bass. God, he hated this song. “We’re going to find other cover.”

The captain looked pissed, but agreed, Poe grabbing the low-level officer next to him and, still bent in half, dragged him toward the opposite stairwell. Together, they wound their way through a closed bakery and into the perimeter of vehicles, dragging a down officer out of the line of fire. Poe relieved him of his weapon, a launcher similar to the one Plutt’s people used on them that he strapped to his chest.

Tapping the cop on the shoulder to get his attention, Poe worked his way through the hot zone, into a fruit stand, and up another staircase. Now this was what he was talking about. A defensible position catty corner to the club, no enemy fire in his direction, and a direct shot capable of ending this ridiculous shootout.

Crouching over the open windows, he took a second to line up the shot. Deep breath in, steady, steady, and he pulled the trigger, sending a single projectile into the second-floor window of the club.

That goddamn song cut off immediately.

Poe stood, surveying his handiwork. The entire front of the building was missing, a cloud of smoke rising from the gaping hole in the brick. A car alarm or six went off in the neighborhood while people shouted in terror at the noise and dust.

He reached for the talk button on his chest. “Advance.”

Diego repeated it over the radio, giving the formal order. Poe handed the borrowed weapon over to the other officer.

Now that Poe got a good look at him, he realized he was just a kid. Maybe he was getting older, but this kid barely looked old enough to graduate high school, let alone join the force. Must be a rookie.

The kid was looking at Poe, his eyes wide in awe. “Nice shot.”

Poe shook his head. Definitely a rookie.

The kid followed him back through the destruction and into the club itself, Poe trying not to look as officers cleared the dead. His body count was high enough, he didn’t need today’s tally added to his ledger.

Instead, he kept his eyes straight ahead as they marched survivors out of a back room, heads down and hands tied. That’s how he was able to see Rey the second she crossed into the front the room.

His breath left his body. She looked pale and covered in dust, but there was no blood, no injury he could detect on the parts of her he could see. Someone had secured her hands in front of her body like the rest, but they had talked about this. She knew how to get out of a zip tie if she wanted to. He just needed to provide her with an opportunity.

Ignoring her best he could (There was nothing he could do for her right now. He needed a couple minutes to think this through.), he went to the back room where Diego was questioning the other suspects.

The captain was grandstanding, going on about his advisor (Poe) and America listening (Poe, again). Things got ugly from there, someone trying to offer Plutt’s true location and Diego dismissing both him and the information as lies.

It was becoming more and more apparent that they had played him, the cops and Plutt in on whatever the hell was going on here. This had been a setup, a rigged bust for the police to get a victory and Plutt to remain hidden wherever he was. According to the man on his knees, he was in the jungle, but Poe wasn’t sure it was wise to trust what was soon to be a dead man.

No, he’d seen this play out enough times to know what happened next. Poe dismissed himself, rejoining the others in the main room just as the first shot fired. He flinched with each additional shot - three in total - cursing himself for falling for this.

But he had bigger fish to fry, foremost being Rey. She stood, shaking, in the line of perps deemed too low level to provide any intel, flinching at every noise. Her face was covered in dirt from the explosion, her freckles all but disappearing under the layer of grime.

What the fuck was she doing here? He’d told her, explicitly, to stay away at all costs. And she’d promised him. There was no valid reason for her to wrapped up in this.

And what if she’d been in the front room? He shuddered to think of adding her to his tally, the crooked officers wrapping her in plastic sheeting and dragging her into the street with the rest of the bodies. Once he figured this out and got her alone, there’d be hell to pay, that was for sure.

But right now, he needed to slow down and think.

Diego came out of the back room, barking at the remaining suspects. Rey flinched every time he raised his voice.

Soon enough, they were escorting their prizes down the steps and into the street, loading them one-by-one into the transport van. It wouldn’t be impossible to get her out once they took her into custody, but it would be easier if he could stop it from happening. Poe watched as Rey moved up in the line, waiting for an opportunity. It was a split second, nothing more than a passing glance to an outsider, but Poe read her loud and clear.

When it was her turn to be loaded, the officer grabbed her arm, intending on helping her up into the van. It happened so fast Poe almost missed it. A twist of her arm and the cop was left holding the zip tie in his hand, Rey taking off past Poe.

He reacted quickly, blocking the officer next to him and issuing commands. “I’ll go after her! Get up there with the bikes and cut her off!”

His knees ached as he took off after her, working his way through the traffic and gathered crowd. Now that the dust had settled, the gawkers were out in full force.

She was smarter than he gave her credit for, finding a steep incline and taking it at a sprint, knowing he wouldn’t be able keep up even if he tried.

And he did try, despite the screaming pain in both his knees and the altitude that left him dizzy and ready to throw up. He made a good show of it, so when the bikes showed up, he was able to direct them in a way that didn’t tip them off.

When she chose steps as her next two moves, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to kiss or curse her, making it halfway up the second set before he lost sight of her.

He was seconds away from passing out - from the lack of oxygen or the excruciating pain radiating from his knees was anybody’s guess - when he gave up, bending over to catch his breath. Willing himself not to vomit, he answered the insistent call on the radio from Diego.

“She got away. I lost her. Shit, I don’t even know where I am.”

Lies. All of it. He knew exactly where he was and where she’d gone. But he wasn’t about to tell that to this shitstain.

At least Diego bought the excuses. Poe figured he had two hours before they’d be looking for him as he took off down the nearest street, hailing a taxi. Five minutes later, he wound his way through the familiar streets of Rey’s neighborhood, hiding his vest and tactical gear in an alley two streets over. He’d grab it on his way back to police headquarters before the debrief.

Out of his pocket he pulled the key that had been digging into his thigh the entire trek through the city. He needed to rethink these jeans. They were cutting off his circulation.

Her door opened with no fuss, Poe’s eyes struggling to adjust to her dim living room while he locked the door behind him.

The water was running in the kitchen.

That’s where he found Rey, bent over the sink splashing water on her face and drinking it in turns. Good to know he wasn’t the only one affected by the mad dash through the city. He was struck by the conflicting need to both shout at her for being so stupid and take her into his arms and never let go.

Despite the fact that she was ignoring him, there was no way she didn’t realize he was there, further proven when she didn’t so much as flinch when he spoke. “What were you doing there?”

It came out more accusatory than he meant, but he’d spent the last hour terrified out of his mind. Today would have been bad enough without the added knowledge that he could have killed her. He realized that she’d been crying when she sniffed, rubbing the back of her hand across her nose. As if he couldn’t feel any worse.

“Warning Finn.” She didn’t look up from the sink.

“Jesus.”

“You told me this was going down at noon, and you show up at ten fucking thirty.”

“It wasn’t my bust. It was never my bust. You knew that. They’re the ones who changed it.”

Shutting off the water, she turned to face him. The look on her face was even worse than he’d imagined, her eyes red-rimmed and shiny, a slight quiver to her lips. “They took Finn and you have to get him out.”

“Get him out? You’re lucky he’s still alive.” Fed up, he turned, walking out of the cramped kitchen.

Jesus, did she think he had that kind of pull down here? Today was a forceful reminder he had no control over anything that happened here. He was a consultant and nothing more.

“Yeah? Well, we both know he won’t be alive for long if he stays in there,” she bit back, following him into the dining room.

Leaning against the doorjamb, she watched him take the seat opposite. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t stand anymore. He’d definitely pay for this tomorrow.

“If you were so worried, you never should have let your idiot friend get involved with this shit.” He’d blame it on the pain later, but the truth was he knew what he was doing. He’d spent the morning terrified and beaten down and he was trying to take it out on her. It wasn’t one of his better qualities.

Sure enough, he regretted it a second later when he watched a single tear fall from her eye. She brushed it away, annoyance flashing across her face.

He didn’t make a conscious decision to cross the room and pull her into his arms, but that’s where he found himself. Despite their matching heights, she buried her face in his shoulder, letting a few more tears escape.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing her back. “You didn’t deserve that.”

He almost missed the next words out of her mouth, as muffled as they were by his shirt.

“Wait, what did you say?” He took a step back so he could see her face.

“What if I told you I know?” She paused, steeling herself for what she said next. “I know where Plutt is. I know where the money is.”

Without thinking, he took a step back, putting some distance between them. A flash of anger brought heat to his face, Poe forcing his voice to remain level. “How long have you known?”

“Three months.” Even in the low light, her hazel eyes blazed at him, daring him to say something about it.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he took a steadying breath. “And why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

“Because I’m just your informant, right? That’s all I am?” Her words were a slap in the face, and he felt them as such.

Fuck, what had he gotten himself into? Like this situation wasn’t complicated enough. She had been keeping this as a bargaining chip, a way to make sure he didn’t use her. All the smart informants did. He’d honestly be disappointed in her if she hadn’t. But more than anything this made him realize that for the past few months, he hadn’t been treating her like an informant. He’d been treating her like a partner. Or worse, a lover.

He was in love with her.

So this, it was on him. He was the one who blurred the lines. He couldn’t blame her for looking out for herself.

But he could put a little distance between them.

“If you’ve got something to tell me, right now is the time to do it.”

She faltered a little at the coldness in his voice, but seemed to gain strength the longer she spoke. “I… I got a promotion. I oversee the weekly deliveries to Plutt’s house in the jungle. Whole vans full of cash. That’s where he keeps the real money - his house is a safe.”

His mind was reeling. If she knew the location of Plutt’s house, if she had the access, then he had a chance to take the snake down.

But she wasn’t done with him, not yet. “And just so you know, Plutt pays Diego and all of those men that hired you way too much money to watch you chase your tail. But now, maybe, you can actually do something about it.”

***

Poe stared her down for a long second, but Rey was beyond caring at this point.

That was it, the last secret she had from him. All her cards were on the table and the chips would fall as they may. It was out of her hands; she was at his mercy now.

The moment stretched between them.

He broke the silence. “Are you sure?”

“About what?”

“The location, the money, the security. All of it. Can you get me in there?”

She thought about it a second. It wouldn’t be without risk. To both of them. And there would be things she just plain didn’t know. But if this was her only shot at getting Finn back and getting the hell out of here, she’d give him everything she had.

She nodded.

A smile spread across Poe’s face as he took her face in his hands for a quick kiss. Apparently, all was forgiven.

He pulled back, pacing the dining room and mumbling to himself. “Ok, I’m gonna need to put a team together. Who’s still working…”

“But.”

That stopped him in his tracks. “But?”

Rey crossed her arms, looking Poe dead in the eye. “I need assurances that Finn will be released. And when this goes down, both Finn and I will need safe passage out of the country. There’s no way they won’t tie this to me, and I’m not ending up on the tennis courts.”

“The tennis courts?”

“Do I have your promise? Finn and safe passage?”

“I promise,” he replied, his voice solemn.

There was no way for her to tell if he was lying, but she trusted him. She prayed it wouldn’t be her last mistake on Earth.

“My first time at the complex, he made sure to take me through the tennis courts. He had five men on their knees, bags over their heads, and once we passed, they shot them one-by-one. It was a warning for what happens to those who cross Unkar Plutt.”

At some point during the story, she’d started to shake, a visceral reaction that happened every time she thought of that day.

Poe crossed the room, wrapping her into his arms.

“Christ, Rey. I wish you’d told me sooner.” A pause. “I’m gonna get you out of here, I promise.”

They stood like that for a minute, Rey fighting the urge to cry as she held onto him. She needed to show him she was strong enough, that she could do this.

Finally, she pulled away. “Ok, what do you need to know?”

 

Turned out, the answer to that question was everything.

Poe had less than an hour before someone would miss him, so she gave him the basics.

“The cash drops are weekly. Every Wednesday, I get a call telling me where to go for pickup. Lately, that’s been the discoteco, but obviously that’s not viable anymore.”

Poe nodded, his attention unwavering as they sat at the table.

“I bring this,” she dug out the book out of her bag, hesitating a second before handing it over to Poe. There was no coming back from this. Once he saw the ledger, he’d never stop. “And then amounts are verified using counters and we sign off on it. No variances are accepted. The cash is then loaded into bags and into the van.”

Poe’s eyes went wide as he paged through the unassuming book. It contained every transaction for the past year, a paper trail so damning it could take down half the city.

“This is more information than I’ve been able to gather in the three years I’ve been down here working with the police.” His mouth hung open as he continued to flip through. “How long have you had this?”

“Three months. I told you they had you chasing your tail.” She reached out to squeeze his hand, bringing Poe’s attention back to her. “It’s two hours to the house. There are two guards posted at the gate. They verify the driver, check the book, and open the back. Once we’re clear, it’s straight on to the house.

“Two guards carry the money, while the driver escorts me and the book. There’s anywhere between five and ten guards between the front door and the office where I meet Plutt. It depends on the day and the time we arrive-”

He stopped her. “Can you get video from inside the house?”

Rey’s heart took a dive straight into her stomach.

In theory, she could. But at what point did she say no? If Unkar found a recording device on her, her life would be forfeit. She wouldn’t even make it to the tennis courts.

Noticing her hesitation, he squeezed her hand. “It’s ok. We can talk about it later.”

She nodded, swallowing thickly before moving on. “Plutt’s accountant verifies the book, then we run the money one more time, everybody signs, and it’s back in the van for the two-hour drive back to the city.”

“So that’s why you work late on Wednesdays.”

Looking down at the table, she huffed out a small laugh.

“Hey, look at me.” He waited until she looked up. “We’ll figure this out, I promise. I’m not gonna let you take the fall for it.”

“But how? You can’t go to Diego and the police. It’ll end up the same as today. Plutt will see you coming a mile away.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Poe stood, pushing the chair back in. “Speaking of, I’ve gotta debrief with Diego.” Leaning over, he kissed on the forehead. “I’ll see what I can find out about Finn.” He hesitated. “Do you… do you want me to come back later?”

Well that was new. It was the first time she’d ever seen him unsure of himself. They rarely made plans - he tended to show up when he could get away. She’d resigned herself long ago to taking what she could get with Poe. Maybe things _had_ changed.

“Sure.”

A smile lit up his face for a second before he dipped back down to kiss her. “Then, I’ll be back.”

She waited for the lock to click behind him before she burst into tears.

 

Diego was so full of shit.

Poe leaned back in his chair at police headquarters, listening to the bullshit spewing out of the captain’s mouth.

Surprise attack. Bad intel. More than we thought. Assaulting an officer.

It sounded like one word out of every ten was the truth. Not bad for this crew.

Though, no mention of Rey or her escape. Every officer in the room seemed to have magically forgotten that they had one more prisoner prior to loading them into the van. Plutt must have stepped in. Now that Poe knew how valuable she was to the kingpin, it all made sense.

He tuned out when they started patting themselves on the back. They’d lost no less than 10 of their own men that day. It was sickening.

His mind drifted toward Plutt and all he’d learned that afternoon.

Christ, he’d been trying to follow the money since the day he got down here three years ago. One look at that ledger told him he’d never even been close. Rey had been the key the whole time.

Of course he would be in love with the one person who could make or break this operation. As if dealing with crooked cops and drug lords wasn’t enough.

He needed a plan. One that would take care of Plutt and get Rey out of the country. He’d need Black Squadron.

Black Squadron had been the peak of his military career, an elite special forces team put together to handle the jobs no one else could. They were the best of the best, and together they took down regimes, liberated entire populations, eliminated threats. And if 90% of it had been against the Geneva Convention, well, Poe chose not to think of that. These were the men and women who could get this done.

But would they do it?

He’d been gone for a while, but he still heard the news. Muran’s dissolving marriage. Pava’s baby. Snap and Karé finally getting hitched.

Everyone was getting on with their lives, for better or worse. Except Poe. He seemed destined to keep running until one or both of his knees blew out. And as much as he hated to admit it, that time was fast approaching. If today had taught him anything, it’s that he was getting too goddamn old for this.

Maybe it was finally time to do something for himself.

“¿Poe? ¿Cual es tu valoración?”

Without thinking, he switched into Spanish, hoping no one noticed that he’d been less than attentive for the past few minutes. “My assessment? We took in some low-level thugs, a bit of cash and product, but we’re still no closer to finding Plutt. Loss of life was high.” Pausing, he took in the silent stares. He realized he should go about this a different way if he had any hope of getting Finn out of custody like he promised Rey. Popping what he hoped was a smug smile on to his face, he changed tact. “But all in all, it was a very successful operation. We took the location out of play,” he finished lamely, hating himself a little for it.

“Yeah, and we took some of those bastards down,” added the young cop he had with him when he took the final shot. The kid got up and accepted high fives all around.

Fuck, he was gonna need a shower after this.

Once the meeting was over, Poe approached Diego at the front of the room.

“Congratulations, Captain,” he said, taking Diego’s hand. If he wanted this to work, he needed to lay it on thick.

“Thanks, man. You taking a few days off? Recharging?”

Poe was lucky. His next contract with the department didn’t start for another two weeks. Plenty of time to plan and execute the Plutt takedown.

“Yeah, yeah. Going back home for a few days to see some friends. Speaking of, one of the kids we picked up, Finn Storm? Low-level bouncer? Well, turns out he’s a friend of a friend-”

“Say no more.” Diego picked up a file, flipping to Finn’s page. “Looks about right, didn’t even find a gun on him. I’ll make sure he’s let out tomorrow morning.” Closing the file, he gave Poe a sly wink. “Whoever this ‘friend of a friend’ is, I sure hope she’s pretty.”

Was there anything this guy did that didn’t make Poe want to strangle him? He made his excuses and got out of there, letting the night air cool his blood.

Where to start?

It wouldn’t work if he approached Muran first. With the divorce and the kids, he’d turn Poe down flat. No, best to try Snap first. He’d give Poe a chance. And didn’t Karé have a fight coming up? He vaguely remembered an email to that effect. Perfect, he’d be able to hit them all at once. All he needed was one to agree and the rest would follow.

It was time to go home.

 

It took Rey a good half hour to calm down after Poe left, the events of the day finally catching up with her. She could have died. They all could have died, her and Finn and Poe. And now she was going to help Poe take down her boss. The terror threatened to choke her.

In all the years she’d worked for Plutt, she’d only ever been this scared once before - that first day he walked her through his house. And now, she was actually going to do something that could send her to the courts for real. But if this was the only way to get out of this life, then she’d have to risk it. For both her and Finn.

Finn. If she wasn’t so terrified of losing him, she’d kill him herself. What the hell was he thinking taking that guard position? They’d talked about this. There was nothing she could do about her own involvement in Plutt’s business, she was in too deep now for that, but Finn was supposed to keep his head down and stay the fuck out of it.

Eventually, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, exhaustion creeping in to her limbs. She’d run halfway around the city today (not to mention the hills) and every inch of her body ached. Oh, she’d pay for this tomorrow, but all she could do in that moment was drag herself to the shower.

Covered in dust and dirt as she was, the water ran brown when she stepped under the stream. It felt heavenly on her muscles, knots loosening in the rising steam. This entire day felt like a bad dream, from waking up alone to crying in the kitchen and everything in between. She stayed in there until the water ran cold, finishing her shower in less than a minute under the icy stream.

The sun was just starting to set as she pulled on a spare shirt of Poe’s and crawled into bed, determined to wait him out. She flipped on the TV to an old episode of Friends dubbed in Spanish. One second she was watching Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe drink beer in wedding dresses and the next she was being woken by lips on her forehead.

She jumped, working up towards a scream, before she recognized Poe in the flickering light of the TV screen.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just me,” he said, smoothing her hair off her face. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Hi.” Her voice was rough from sleep.

He smiled down at her, fingers carding through her hair. “Hi.”

“Come to bed?”

“Soon.” His lips touched hers. “I’m gonna take a quick shower first.”

She was already drifting back to sleep. “Mmmkay.”

When she woke the next time, Poe was sliding his arms around her. Pulling her back against his bare chest, he settled into bed.

“Are you awake?” he whispered in the darkness.

“Mmmhmm.”

“I’m gonna bring Black Squadron down to do the job.”

That got her attention.

She turned until she was facing him. “Your old team? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

His face screwed up. “Of course. There’s no one else who could get this done.”

There was no doubt in her mind they could get it done. That wasn’t what she was afraid of.

“But do you trust them? I mean, really trust them. The money-”

“I’d trust any of them with my life. And so should you.”

“This isn’t about our lives. You saw the book. This is more money than any of us could hope to make in three lifetimes. That does things to people, I’ve seen it happen. Aren’t you afraid of them cheating you? Taking the money and running?”

Shaking his head, he smiled at her before kissing her forehead. “I know you’re looking out for me, but no one on Black Squadron would ever betray the team. I promise, they’re honest. We’ll get the money and get us all out of here. You’ll see.”

She wanted to trust him, she really did, but she’d been working for Plutt too long to ignore the pull from sums that large. Greed had killed more than one man in Unkar’s employ in the last week alone. There was no way Poe’s friends were immune to it.

But that wasn’t her problem. Her problem was to get them into the house. Whatever they did after that was up to them. As long as she and Finn made it out of the country in one piece, Black Squadron could do whatever the hell they wanted.

Though, that didn’t help to calm her fear for Poe.

Sliding a hand against his stubbled cheek, she kissed him once. “Ok, I believe you.” What was one more lie in a day full of them?

Their time was ending, she could feel it. Poe seemed to feel it too, closing the distance between them again to cover her lips with his own. This time, it was Rey’s tongue that begged entry, deepening the kiss as Poe rolled her onto her back.

His body enveloped her, the familiar floral scent of her shampoo coming off him in waves. A hand crept under her t-shirt, pausing as Poe looked down.

“Wait a second, is this mine?” he asked, a bemused look on his face. Rubbing the cloth between his fingers, he answered his own question. “This _is_ mine. No wonder I can never find anything to wear here!”

She ran her hands up his bare chest, over his shoulders, and higher still into his hair. “But I like you better this way.”

That earned her a low chuckle from Poe. “Honestly, same.”

Without further ado, he worked the shirt over her head, exposing the freckles that dotted her chest. Poe traced them with his tongue, creating constellations across her heated skin.

Once he was satisfied with his work, he moved back up to her lips, taking his time to explore her thoroughly. She reached between them, palming his cock through the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. Poe shivered at the touch, breaking the kiss as she started to work him in earnest. A moan fell from his lips.

She made quick work of his boxers, tossing them to the floor while he reached for a condom at her suggestion. After checking to make sure she was ready for him (and oh, was she ever), he lined himself up at her entrance, pushing slowly. The ring around his neck skated across her sternum, resting at the base of her throat once he was buried to the hilt.

He took it slow this time, pausing every so often to kiss her throat or her neck or her lips, Rey’s hands skimming across the muscles in his back. Her palms found old scars there, some she had never bothered to ask about, others he had never tried to explain. So much of their stories had been left untold.

But she put those thoughts from her head, concentrating on the feel of his skin and the way he moved inside her. The heat was already starting to build, his breathing growing ragged. Their eyes met, completing a circuit that set her aflame. On the next stroke, his hips sped up, chasing the feeling between them. He dipped his fingers down to help her along.

It wasn’t long before she was clenching around him, his own orgasm coming on the end of hers. He collapsed beside her.

After taking care of the condom, Poe faced her on his side, tracing words and pictures on her stomach with a finger while she stared at the ceiling.

“So, when are you leaving?”

He hadn’t said it, at least not explicitly, but she was smart enough to know what came next.

His finger stalled midway through the ‘E’ in her name. “Tomorrow. Flight’s at 10.”

All her old insecurities came crashing back. Was he even planning to tell her? Or would she wake up tomorrow alone, missing him for days before he showed up on her doorstep again.

“Hey, look at me.” Poe directed her face toward him, Rey mortified when he brushed the tears from her eyes. “I know we haven’t given much reason to trust each other, but I’m not going to leave without saying goodbye. I promise.”

Not trusting her voice just yet, she nodded in response.

That was good enough for Poe, who pulled her closer, pillowing his head on her stomach. Her hands went to his curls, not quite long yet, but well on their way. Without the product, it felt like silk as they slipped through her fingers.

His breathing slowed, a steady warmth spreading across her abdomen with each exhale. It was a long time before Rey closed her eyes.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Black Squadron complete the reconnaissance on Plutt's house while Rey makes a cash drop. Finn pays Rey a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple warnings: more executions happen, nothing is graphically described. Rey also has a little panic attack later on.

Poe shifted in the tall grass surrounding the compound. They were positioned at the top of a hill overlooking the house, laid out flat on their stomachs. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable position he’d been stuck in for reconnaissance, but there was something digging in to his left leg, and the constant pinching was going to drive him insane. Next to him, Muran shot him a “will you please stop” look before turning back to their target.

Poe had done it. It had taken Muran’s seal of approval and $100k of his own money to pay them, but he’d convinced the entire crew to come down under the guise of a recce. No, it wasn’t an outright lie, more a lie of omission. They  _ were  _ doing a recce. And he was sure that once they saw the gaping holes in Plutt’s security, heard his plan, realized what they could do, they’d be on board with the actual operation.

Speaking of, Poe focused his attention back on the radio chatter, Pava saying something on the channel.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there are a couple of kids playing out here, Poe. Does Plutt have kids living here with him? Cause that is not what I signed up for.”

He’d been expecting this. “The family’s not the problem, they’re the solution. Every Sunday, Plutt sends his family to mass at 11 with all but three guards. So that leaves Plutt and three guards in the house, and that’s our window.”

“Why would he leave himself so unprotected?”

“Afraid of someone taking his family. And he never leaves his money.”

Rey had been an unending font of information. Thanks to Finn’s guard friends and her status in Plutt’s operation, she’d been able to glean most of this information for him. All he had to do was verify and share.

“Got your girlfriend coming up right now.” There was a pause before Snap gave a low whistle. “Holy shit, she’s a beauty, man.”

It was Muran’s first question when Poe approached him with the job: are you sleeping with the informant?

That one had been an outright lie.

Muran let out a long sigh beside him. “I fucking knew it.”

“Fuck off.”

From his perch, he watched Rey get out of the van and greet the guards. The rough pat down left him gritting his teeth, but there was nothing he could do for her up here. The head guard pulled the small flip phone out of her coat pocket, a perfect replica of the burner she carried for work. When he handed it back without further inspection, Poe released the breath he’d been holding, the relief palpable. That had been the only wild card in the whole plan, whether the guard would look more closely at the phone. Rey insisted they never did, but neither could be sure. And if he opened the phone, they were done. There would be no way to hide the recording.

She replaced the phone in her pocket before disappearing into the house. He prayed no one would notice the small hole they’d cut in the jacket to record through.

Snap’s voice broke him out of his head. “Uh, Poe? I’ve got an execution about to go down here.”

“Are you at the tennis courts?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s his spot.”

There was a sigh over the radio as shots rang out, a small flock of birds taking flight in the jungle. Christ, did he execute people every single week when Rey was here? No wonder she was terrified of ending up on those damn courts.

“Jesus, why is she doing this?” asked Pava.

“I got her best friend out of jail.”

Karé sounded a little sceptical. “Did you put him in jail in the first place?”

“Not really. It’s complicated.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Besides a couple of close calls with patrolling guards, the entire thing went off without a hitch. No shots were fired (besides Plutt’s), no one was seen, and Rey got out of there in one piece.

They waited until the sun set before packing it in, the car silent as they made their way down the mountain in dark. When they stopped at a roadside bar on the edge of the jungle, the conversation turned to the op.

“Dude, you were gonna piss yourself,” Pava laughed as Poe took another shot. Damn, the guaro never tasted better than after a successful job.

The liquor went straight to his head, Poe half-listening to the conversation while he tried to figure out how he could sneak off to see Rey that night. He’d need a good excuse with the entire team crashing at his place. One that didn’t make it clear he just needed to hold her.

Snap was talking with his hands, a sure-fire way to tell he was drunk. “Listen, that guy came within a foot of my wife. I was understandably nervous.”

“Awww, my protector.” Karé leaned over to kiss Snap while everyone else burst out laughing. They all knew that Karé was at least twice as deadly as her husband, and a much better shot to boot.

Snap leaned back in his chair. “So what’s the plan? Are your guys down here prepared to act on this? What’s the scope of this thing?”

“Sunday soft hit is the only way to do this. You bring an army up there, and it’d start a goddamn war.” Muran took a sip of his beer, satisfied with his contribution.

Snap, who had been watching Poe throughout the evening, proceeded carefully. “So when do you present to the agency down here?” He knew something was up. That much was obvious.

Poe tried to keep his face neutral. These were natural questions after a job like this. No time like the present. Better to get it out in the open now, rather than later. More time to convince them it was a good idea.

“I’m not sure I want to tell them.”

He sat back and watched as that sunk in to the faces around the table. By the look of it, no one was happy with his answer.

Muran looked confused. “Why?”

“You saw that place. The cameras don’t point in the right direction, the guards are lazy, the gate is barely secured. It was full of holes. So maybe we don’t tell them, and we do this thing ourselves.”

Snap shook his head like he knew it all along.

But it was Muran who spoke up. “Wait a second, we each took seventeen grand to help the Jakku police map and plan this thing. And now you want us to go in there, on our own, and a kill a bunch of narcos?”

“If we hit that Sunday window when everyone’s at church, only Plutt gets killed. And I’m okay with that.”

Looking around the table, Poe realized he was losing them. Jess and Karé were both way too silent. Muran was looking at him like he had lost his damn mind. And Snap had leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Jesus Poe, do the police here even know about this?” Muran voice grew louder the longer he spoke.

Poe played dumb. “What do you mean?”

It was Snap, observant as ever, who asked the real question. “Who paid our fees?”

“It’s complicated. Technically, you were paid through an LLC.” It wasn’t a lie. Though it certainly wasn’t the truth.

“Nope, not that complicated. It’s $100,000. Where’d it come from?” Jess put her hand on Muran’s arm to quiet him as another group entered the bar. She was right, Plutt’s eyes and ears were everywhere. Better not to risk being overhead.

Poe downed the last of his beer before standing up. “I’ll grab the check.”

“Gee, thanks,” Jess answered with an eye roll.

Their reactions weren’t as discouraging to Poe as they should have been. He had expected this, at least at first. Of course they would have reservations about doing this themselves. He would be suspicious if they didn’t. Now, all he had to do was push the right buttons to get them to see reason.

He settled the bill quickly, and they made their way back to the car.

“So, whose money was it?” Muran asked as soon as they were in the dimly lit parking area and out of earshot.

“We did the job, it’s in your account. Does it really matter?” responded Poe. His friends had lined up in front of him, a united front with him on one side and the rest of the team on the other.

“Yes.” That was Karé, arms crossed and legs hip width apart. Ok, so she was pissed.

“So what, it was my money. That doesn’t change anything.”

Jess shook her head at him. “Jesus.”

“Yeah, man. It does. You lied to us.” Snap leaned against the car, refusing to even look at him.

“No, I didn’t lie to you. I asked you guys to come down here, do some reconnaissance, and make a plan. Now, we can execute that plan alone and take the money for ourselves, or you guys can go home and I’ll bring in the team that double crossed me the last time. But I assure you, if I do that, Plutt will find out and he’ll be gone. And I need this guy.”

“Yeah and the world is full of men like him.”

“Well, this is my last one. I’ve been here for the last three years of my life and all I’ve done is make a fucking mess. And it’s all because of Plutt. The thought of leaving all this behind, the last 17 years of my life, with nothing to show for it-”

“Speak for yourself,” snapped Muran.

“In any other profession, if we accomplished half the stuff we did here, we’d be set for life.”

“Hey, we all know that’s the deal we cut.”

“Well it’s a shitty deal. Muran’s taken, what? Five bullets for his country? And he can’t even afford to put his kids through college. Jess is the best pilot I know, and she’s stuck in a tourist trap, giving helicopter tours for $15 a head. How many more times can Karé get the shit beat out of her-”

“Hey, I won that fight.”

“Sorry, Karé. And Snap, how many more speeches can you give to recruits? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m done. My knees are both shot. This is it for me. So, the question is, do we finally use our skills for our own benefit and actually change something?”

They all stood there for a second, Poe trying to translate the silent glances flying around the group. Jess was thinking about it. Karé was on the fence, but if she went, Snap would too. Everyone seemed to be looking at Muran for confirmation.

Muran looked torn. He’d been the most explicit about not wanting to catch live fire back in the States, but Poe could see the offer spinning around his head. Technically, he had the most to lose. But also the most to gain. Poe watched the resignation spread across his face.

He had them.

But now was not the time to push. Instead, they piled into the car for the rest of the trip into the city, everyone silent as they mulled over the offer.

Poe was trying to figure out a delicate way to bring it up again when Snap did the work for him. “All right, how would you do the Sunday morning version?” he asked Muran, leaning forward from the back seat.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

Jess called him on it. “Bullshit. You can’t help yourself.”

Muran took a deep breath, releasing it in a sigh. “Fine, you’d have 40 minutes to get in, get the job done, and get out before the family comes home from church. That’s a hard out.” The car was silent as he went on. “We need to breach the fence, sweep the premises, find and subdue the guards, scrub the hard drives in the security room, get rid of Plutt, find the money, pack the money, and then hoof it half a mile to the nearest vehicle. There’s only two ways out: the fence in the front or over the mountain we came down, and I’m too old for that.”

They all agreed on that last point. No one was young enough to be trucking through the mountains with hundred-pound bags of cash. Well, except maybe for Karé.

“We need to use one of their vans,” added Snap.

Jess shot that down. “Plutt had two vans in the courtyard, but if he sends the family and guards to church in those, then we’ve got nothing. We’re gonna need another van. Can your girlfriend work that out?”

Poe hesitated. It was one thing to get video when she was already making the cash drop. It was another thing to have her drive two hours up a mountain to drop off a van at a drug dealer’s house 20 minutes before they robbed him. If something went wrong and Plutt didn’t die, she’d have a target on her back for the rest of her life. But Jess was right, they didn’t have another option.

“I can ask her.”

Muran wasn’t done. “Snap, you still got your guy down here? Cause we’re gonna need a heavy lift helicopter to get us over the Andes and to the ocean.”

Snap shrugged. “Yeah, I can give him a call.”

“Oh, yeah, Redfly is back,” said Karé from the back.

He tried to hide it, but Poe could see Muran smile at the old nickname.

Yeah, they were doing this.

 

Rey stood at one of the meat counters in the old market waiting for the butcher to come back with her cuts. It was the same spot she met Poe all those months ago, before he knew who she worked for, before they’d gotten together, before any of this informant/handler nonsense. In the logical part of her brain, she knew she should regret ever meeting him. He’d put her in more danger in the last week than she’d had in the five years prior working for Plutt. But somehow, she couldn’t make herself hate him.

After yesterday’s drop, she returned to an empty apartment, locking the door behind her before she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Turns out, terror sustained over nearly six hours was fucking exhausting. With shaking hands, she pulled the phone out of her pocket to check for the video.

It was all there. From the ride up, through the house - with a perfect shot of the security room, if she did say so herself - and into Plutt’s office. Thanks to her, nothing in the house would be a surprise for Poe and his team, if they moved forward.

A hot shower revived her slightly, but the empty bed left her restless and unable to sleep. She knew it was too dangerous for Poe to come over with Black Squadron in town, but that didn’t stop her from hoping he’d show up, anyway.

So, she spent the night tossing and turning until it was time to get up to meet Poe here.

As she looked at the offers on display at the counter, she thought back to the last time she’d seen him, the morning he left for America.

She came back from the bathroom to find Poe sitting up in bed, fiddling with the ever-present ring around his neck. He’d never brought it up, so she’d never asked, instead ignoring both it and him as she crawled back into bed. He had to be at the airport soon. Making herself comfortable, she burrowed down in the pillows, waiting for Poe to leave her.

A minute passed and her eyes started to fall closed.

“It was my mother’s.” He looked down to make sure she was listening. “She died during my first tour. Cancer. Left me the ring to ‘share with the right partner.’ Sometimes, I wonder what she’d think if she could see me now. She was born here, you know. Just down the street, in fact. That’s why I came to Jakku.”

Rey pulled herself to a sitting position, reaching out to cup his cheek. He desperately needed a shave, as evidenced by the marks on her thighs, but she ignored that as she directed his attention toward her.

“She’d see the same man I do.” Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his.

“I’m going to rob a drug dealer. It’s not exactly noble work, Rey.”

She didn’t have an answer for him then and she still didn’t have an answer for him as he came up behind her now. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, the brim of his baseball cap tapping against the side of her head. Apparently, they were playing a couple today.

Once she finished the transaction, she took Poe’s proffered elbow, walking through the market arm in arm. A normal couple out for a stroll on Thursday afternoon.

He led her to their favorite food stand, a noodle place tucked into a back corner of the market. No one ever came here, and the owner didn’t speak a lick of English, making it a safe place for their meetings. They took both stools at the little counter, Rey digging out the phone and handing it over.

Poe opened it, queuing up the video on the tiny screen. His face was serious as he watched, half shaded by the brim of the cap, not even cracking a smile at the literal money shot.

“Thank you for this,” he said, snapping the phone shut.

Honestly, she’d expected a little more out of him. That video had everything he needed and then some. He fidgeted with the phone in his hand, opening and snapping it closed over and over again. Something was up.

“And?”

He sighed. “I might need you do one more thing for me.” Pausing, he seemed to weigh his next words. “Can you get an extra van into the compound Sunday morning?”

Fear slid down her throat and settled in her stomach. What he was asking, it was suicide. There was no other word for it. Plutt would know, and every single person in his organization would come after her once he was dead.

“There’s no way. They’d know it was me. Every one of his people can recognize me. I’d be dead before sundown.”

“If you can get me an extra van on Sunday morning, I will make sure you and Finn get out of the country with new papers and money.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That was already part of the deal.”

It felt like looking at a stranger, not the man she’d spent the better part of this year getting to know. He wouldn’t even look her in the eye, instead focusing on a spot on the counter in front of him.

“Two million.”

She tried not to let the hurt show on her face. It was a lot of money. No doubt enough to keep her hidden and comfortable for the rest of her life, even after she split it with Finn. But to her ears, it sounded like he was paying her off now that she wouldn’t be useful to him anymore.

How had she let herself fall for him? She’d known from day one that this is where they’d end up, eventually. There was no other option. But her heart still broke a little every time

“Two million dollars?”

“Yeah, but I need a van inside those gates.”

“Okay.” Finally, he cracked a smile, the Poe she’d come to know (and love) shining through. “But if we’re not gone as soon as you make your move, we’re dead.”

“You’ll be gone. I promise.” He reached for her hand on the counter. “Thank you.”

She nodded, giving his hand a slight squeeze in response.

  
  


This had to be up there with her dumbest ideas ever.

Creeping around a shipping container, she looked for the source of the voices, finding them just ahead and to her left. This was a good spot, hidden from view but close enough to hear every word of their conversation. Never in her life did she think she’d be spying on a group of ex-special forces, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

She needed to know if she could trust them.

If she was smart, she wouldn’t even bother. Trust no one but each other, that was how she and Finn had survived this long. Trust no one and take no chances. Too bad she’d thrown both rules out the window.

Poe’s voice echoed out of the container. “Every single gun, bullet, and fucking toothpick in here has been sourced in-country. The idea is to pin this on a local rival gang. Now, who was it who didn’t trust this lady.”

Huh, good to know the feeling was mutual. 

She could hear the smile in his voice as he continued. “Cause not only is she gonna get us the van, but she got us this.” There was a pause before the sound of the crappy cell-phone video echoed in the metal box. “There’s Plutt. And, oh! Look at what’s there behind him.”

Rey was shocked to hear a woman’s voice answer. “Looks like money to me. That’s gotta be $35 million right there.”

“You can’t know that,” scoffed a second female voice.

“Whatever it is, it’s a lot,” supplied a man.

God, she wished she knew names or anything at all about the people who held her future in their hands, but Poe had been adamant. No names, no unnecessary information, call him Pope any time she was near Black Squadron. He didn’t want his friends getting spooked. So, she knew nothing about them but the fact they referred to themselves as Black Squadron and they’d served together.

They went back and forth about how they would spend their shares, one woman going on about a Ferrari, the other urging her not to count her chickens until they hatched. Poe brought everyone’s attention back to the task at hand. “So we got a bird, we got a van, we’ve got Plutt confirmed in the house with the money.”

Silence. 

“All right. Give me a minute.” It was the lowest voice she’d ever heard, quiet yet somehow still booming in the small space.

Her heart dropped as he stepped out of the shipping container. He was tall, a lot taller than Poe, his straight dark hair cut short and a neat beard covering the bottom half of his face. It was his eyes that struck her, a brown so light they could be gold as they shimmered in the sunlight. She barely had enough time to register that he was headed straight for her hiding spot before Poe stopped him mere steps away from her hiding spot. She shuffled back a step, sure they could hear her heart pounding.

Deep Voice seemed sceptical but desperate, a dangerous combination in Rey’s book. The more he talked, the less she liked him. It didn’t help he made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with her (“your girlfriend,” as he continued to refer to Rey, his tone of voice likening her to something that should be scraped off the bottom of his shoe). There was no doubt in her mind he would be a problem.

Their conversation over, Deep Voice turned and went back to the container, closing the door behind him.

“You satisfied now?”

For a split second she thought about running, taking off in the opposite direction and not stopping until she hit her front door. But there was no use. Poe knew she was there. She stepped out of the shadows.

“How did you know?”

“You may be quiet, but stealthy you are not.”

She stared at him, waiting further explanation.

“Your perfume. I could smell your perfume.” Thank god he was smiling, looking a whole hell of a lot more like himself than he had earlier that day. “Now, are you gonna tell me why?”

“I had to make sure for myself,” she answered, crossing her arms to match his stance.

“Make sure of what?”

“That you wouldn’t double cross me.” His face fell, but she couldn’t worry about that now.

“And the verdict?”

She skirted the question. “Your friends really don’t like me.”

Stepping forward, he pulled her into a quick hug. “They don’t know you. These guys aren’t very trusting, but they trust you enough to go through with this.” He stepped back. “I gotta get back before they miss me. Can you do me a favor and not be here when we come out? I’m not sure how they’d react if they saw you.” Checking behind him, he snuck a kiss. “I’ll try to stop by later.”

She didn’t stick around to watch him go back to his friends.

 

Rey dropped her bag on the table, doubling back to check that the door was locked. Her paranoia had hit an all-time high with Black Squadron’s arrival, sure that someone would connect their presence in the city to her.

“There you are.”

The voice came out of nowhere (though more like her living room), Rey jumping so her back thumped against the door. It took a second to recognize the voice and another two for her heart to come out of her throat.

“Finn?”

“I thought we were meeting to grab lunch.” He gave her a funny look. “Who else would it be?”

In his defense, he didn’t know that Poe also had a key. Or that he existed. Poe wasn’t the only person Rey was lying to these days.

But that was about to end.

“Remember how I said it was good luck when they released you the day after the raid on the club?” She waited for Finn to nod. “Well, it wasn’t. I have a… friend on the inside.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of friend?”

“The kind of friend that made sure you didn’t rot in prison for the rest of your life,” she shot back, unable to stop the anger rising in her chest. “Speaking of, you never told me why the fuck you were there in the first place. I thought we agreed that you stayed out of the dirty stuff. One of us needs to keep our hands clean.”

Finn looked down, refusing to meet her eyes. “They told me they’d kill you if I didn’t.”

Well that took the wind right out of her sails.

“What are you talking about? Who told you that?”

“Plutt.” Finn finally looked at her, the full weight of his fear hitting her in the chest. How had she missed it? He must have been carrying this around for weeks now. “They took me up the mountain and he met me on the… grounds.” Rey could hear the subtext. She knew exactly where Plutt had taken him. “Said he needed insurance now that you were working with him directly.”

So it was all her fault. She should have known that Plutt wouldn’t trust her. Of course he needed something more than the threat of her own life to keep her in line. And if she hadn’t been so caught up in Poe, she probably would have noticed sooner.

“How long?” She was almost afraid to ask.

Finn shrugged. “I don’t know. Like two months.”

Jesus, it was worse than she thought. Here, she’d been playing house with Poe and all along Finn had been conscripted into Plutt’s little army. The thought turned her stomach, her breath coming in short panicked bursts while the edges of her vision faded to black.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. Breathe. Just breathe.” Finn took both her hands in his, forcing her to look at him. “Look at me. Follow my breaths.” He took an exaggerated breath, Rey attempting to follow. Her vision cleared as the oxygen hit her brain.

Another three or four shaky breaths and her heart slowed, Finn watching her carefully before taking her into his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “This is all my fault. But I’m going to fix this, I swear.”

Finn let go, holding her at arm’s length. “Rey, what did you do?”

She shook her head. Now was not the time to get into it. “Doesn’t matter. I need you to pack a bag and be ready to go on Sunday.”

“It’s the guy, isn’t it? The one you keep blowing me off for?”

She tried to keep the shock off her face, though based on Finn’s raised eyebrow she didn’t do a good job. How the hell did he know about Poe? Thinking back, she tried to remember if she’d mentioned him, coming up blank. Though, if she was being honest, they’d given up on discretion a long time ago. It was probably sheer luck that Plutt hadn’t killed her already.

“Yes. He’s going to take down Plutt and get us out of here.”

Finn shook his head, scrubbing his face with both hands. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“He’s bringing a team in, keeping the police out of it. This could be it.”

“Please don’t tell me you believe whatever shit he’s feeding you.” His eyes were pleading as he grabbed her shoulders. “You’re smarter than this. He’s using you.”

“I love him.”

Well, that stopped Finn in his tracks.

She hated the pity on his face as he looked at her, so sure she was getting played he couldn’t hide it.

“Do you trust him?”

Well, that was a complicated question, one Rey sidestepped.

“He got you out of jail, helped me escape custody-”

“But do you trust him?” He fixed her with a level stare, waiting for her answer.

This was Finn, her only family in the world. If she said she trusted Poe, that would be it. He’d follow them both to the end of the line. Most days, that knowledge left her feeling safe and loved. But just then, it felt like a whole hell of a lot of responsibility.

“I do.”

She prayed to every god she knew that Poe wouldn’t prove her wrong.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr at [BatuuPrincess](https://batuuprincess.tumblr.com).


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the heist does not go according to plan, lives hang in the balance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some violence here, though nothing is described in graphic detail. Also, the heist very closely mimics the actual movie, dialogue included. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“Come on, let’s go!” Poe shouted over the rain and the roar from the burning house behind him. He ran toward the SUV left behind by the guards they’d shot.

How the fuck did he end up here?

It had started off well enough, the family and guards piling in to the cars as they watched, unseen, from the jungle. They were off the property ten minutes early, probably because of the pouring rain, giving Rey an extra few minutes to make sure the family wouldn’t see her on the road.

And she delivered the van right on time, the guard barely giving her a second look as she pulled it into the courtyard to wait for them. Poe assumed it was Finn who followed her in the old Ford, Rey getting into the car and getting out of there before anyone could raise a suspicion. He needed her out of here, somewhere safe so he could do what needed to be done without worrying about her.

Her documents were in his pack, their added weight a constant reminder of what he was doing. After today, she could take her new identity and disappear from his life forever. If he was a better man, he’d insist that she do just that, the risk too great for them to be seen together. But Poe was not a better man. He’d lie low a couple of weeks, make sure their new identities weren’t being traced, then they could be together. But only so long as this went off without a hitch.

Her departure triggered the start of the operation, Karé securing the guard at the gate while the rest of Black Squadron entered the house. The rain had brought the guards inside, a lucky break for Poe and the crew. Now, they only needed to clear the house.

Snap took down the first guard easily, Poe zip tying his arms and legs. Before they could drag him away, the second guard walked into the room. The plan was to put the guards out of commission in perfect silence, but Jess got a little trigger happy, the guard taking a shot to the leg before they could subdue him.

“Shit,” whispered Poe, sitting on the man’s back to tie him down. “Keep an eye out for Plutt. He sure as shit heard us now.”

There was no time to be pissed. They needed to clear the rest of the house, _now_.

Walking slowly, guns raised, they cleared the rest of the house room by room, only stopping to blow the surveillance equipment. Ten minutes later, it was apparent they were alone in the house.

“Where is he? She said he never leaves,” Poe said over the radio. Something felt off. So far, none of Rey’s intel had been bad. Why would this be the first?

“I’ve got nothing, this guy’s a ghost,” came Snap’s voice.

“Everyone to the office, now.” Poe bristled at Muran’s tone. The plan might have been Muran's, but this was Poe’s operation.

But there was no sense getting into a pissing match, not when Plutt and his money were nowhere to be found. Instead, Poe made his way through the house, following the raised voices.

Karé greeted him by lifting empty bags of what should have been cash. “What the fuck, Poe?”

“I think your girl played us, man.” Muran shook his head in the corner.

Snap looked around. “We gotta get out of here. This could be a trap.”

His thoughts spiraled out of control. Shit, shit, shit, she double-crossed them. She fed him just enough info to get them there and now she was gone. Had she been playing him the whole time? He half expected Plutt and his men to barge in and finish them, leaving their bodies to rot in the jungle.

No. This was Rey they were talking about. He refused to let himself think of her like that. The Rey he knew wasn’t capable of it. This was a woman who cried when a dog got hurt on screen, who shook violently any time you so much as mentioned tennis, who couldn’t hide the split second of shock on her face every single time someone was nice to her.

He needed to take a deep breath and think this through…

Wait a second. Poe stopped, sniffing the air a little more deliberately this time. “Wait, do you guys smell that?”

They met his words with confused looks all around and more than one “It wasn’t me,” but he ignored them all in favor of scouring the walls. Sure enough, the far wall was just a touch shinier than the rest, the color not quite matching the rest of the room.

“What are you talking about?” asked Jess, her eyes following him across the room.

“Paint.” Standing in front of the wall in question, he ran a finger across the drywall. It came back with a smear of the ugly brownish paint. “The house is the safe,” he mumbled, almost to himself.

Muran caught on. “The _house_ is the fucking safe.”

Poe sent an apology to Rey for ever doubting her as he reached back and cocked his fist. The drywall gave way easily (though his knuckles stung like a bitch), Poe widening the hole while the rest of the team gathered round.

It was in the walls, from the floor to the ceiling, stack after stack of crisp $100 bills.

Poe smiled as he took out a stack, showing it to the group. “C’mon, help me get this out.”

The team sprang to action, taking down a giant picture, tearing at the walls with their bare hands. A whoop went up as they revealed more and more hidden between the studs, shouts of instructions and the ruffling of bags echoing through the room.

It was everywhere. Every wall, every room, every hallway stuffed top to bottom with cash. _The house was the safe._

He had no clue if Rey had picked that up in conversation or if she knew he kept the money in the walls, but either way those words saved them. The bags piled up around him, more and more money being unearthed at every turn.

There was a whole hell of a lot more than $35 million here.

Soon they were out of the canvas bags, pilfering the rest of the house for duffles, totes, and even a couple rolling suitcases, anything they could stuff with more cash. The van was full and still they continued to rip open walls, stacking the cash they found.

It turned out, Rey was right about more than just the house. That much money did things to people.

They’d loaded every bag they could find in the house, the van full to bursting. Poe wasn’t even sure how they would fit, but Muran wanted more. More bags, more money, more time in the house.

Karé was the first to bring it up. “Hey, shouldn’t we be wrapping this up? How are we on time?”

“We’ve got time for a couple more loads,” answered Muran, pulling at another wall.

Poe looked at his watch, not liking what he saw, but willing to trust Muran’s judgment. “Ok, let’s get this down to the van.”

Another five minutes passed.

Their hard out was rapidly approaching, and everyone knew it.

“C’mon Muran,” shouted Jess, coming up for yet another load. “We’ve got plenty here. Why are you digging up more?”

“Just one more.” Muran cut into another section of drywall.

“I’ve been working with you for 10 years and you’ve never missed a hard out.”

Muran turned, sweat dripping down his face. “Listen, I gave us a 15-minute cushion. We’ve still got time. If we’re out of here in seven, we’ll beat them to the road.”

Poe shook his head. That was way too close for comfort and they all knew it. But Muran had always been their leader, the best of the best, and he’d never steered them wrong before. Poe could read the indecision in every one of their eyes.

But Snap wasn’t having it. “Nope, that’s it. Time’s up, we gotta go.”

Muran looked like he wanted to fight for a second before resigning himself to the decision.

Now it was Poe’s turn. “I want one more sweep for Plutt. Then we burn this place to the ground.” He couldn’t leave the man alive, he’d promised Rey. And with the amount of money they were dealing with, Plutt would never stop looking for her if he was alive. She would never be safe.

Reluctantly, they agreed. It would be all their heads if they allowed Plutt to live.

Poe took the lead while Muran followed with the lighter fluid, Snap clearing a different area of the house. Jess and Karé had gone to load the remaining bags.

It happened in the master bedroom after they’d cleared the house a second time. Finding nothing, they lowered their weapons for barely a minute, just long enough for Plutt to come out of the hidden panic room and get a few shots off before Poe took him down.

Poe walked to the room (hidden behind a wardrobe) and looked down at the man he’d been chasing for the last three years, the man who haunted Rey’s waking hours (and her sleeping ones, too). Up close, he was smaller than Poe expected, scrabbling across the floor to reach his dropped gun. Without hesitating, Poe put two more shots in him.

Jess ran into the room. “What are we shooting at in here?” She came up behind Poe. “Is that Plutt?”

Poe released the spent clip, swapping it out for a new one. He felt no remorse as he looked down at Plutt’s lifeless form. This one was he was happy to add to his tally.

“He’s dead,” was all Poe said as he walked back into the room.

Snap was on his knees in the center of the room. “Uh, guys, I’m hit.” The hand he’d been holding to his side came away bloody.

Muran helped him to the ground, taking off the pack and vest so they could check the wound. “Straight through, you’ll be fine.”

Poe grabbed the clot kit from his own pack, pressing it into the wound before securing it.

Snap gritted his teeth. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“Yeah, you sure did.” Poe let out a small laugh.

Karé chose that moment to barrel through the door. “Sunday school’s over. They’re back.” She took one look at the scene in the room and swore, “Fuck! What did you guys do to my husband?” Dropping to her knees, she tried to assess the damage.

“The family?” asked Jess, looking out the window.

Karé draped Snap’s arm around her, helping him to his feet. “No, just the first wave of guards.”

Poe joined Jess at the window. He watched an older model SUV drive up to the entrance through the rain. By now, they would have realized that something is off when they saw the gate was unattended.

This was supposed to be neat. One armed robbery, one murder. Nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t going to win them any medals, but it was manageable for his conscience. This was not what they signed up for.

Turning back to his team, Poe made the call. “We each take a pack full of cash, burn the rest, and sneak out the back into the jungle. I’ll cover the cost of the operation, you keep what you can carry.” He’d just have to figure out a different way to get Rey and Finn out of the country.

Muran shook his head. “No, we’re not dragging Snap through jungle with that bullet wound. And we’re not leaving them any of this fucking money.”

“Yeah, like I said, we burn it to the ground and we go.” Poe narrowed his eyes at Muran, not liking where this was going.

“We’ve got a hundred million in the van out there. We take them out quickly. Call out your kills, we don’t want any surprises out there.”

Poe’s stomach dropped out from under him. It was one thing to kill Plutt - a duty Poe was happy to have taken on himself - but another thing to annihilate two vans full of guards. They weren’t innocent, but they weren’t exactly Plutt-level villains either. In fact, most were probably like Rey and Finn, in over their heads with no way out.

He watched, helpless, as one by one the rest of the team agreed to Muran’s plan. When they finally looked at him, he hesitated. This wasn’t the plan, not by a long shot. If he did this, could he look himself in the mirror? He looked from one person to the other, finally landing on Muran. The realization sunk in. He was outnumbered.

“Yeah, ok.” He gave a brisk nod, steeling himself for what came next.

At least it went quickly, that’s about all he could say about the next five minutes without wanting to throw up.

Fanning out, they took down every guard on the property, Poe losing count somewhere after five. And every one, whether or not he pulled the trigger, was another added to his ledger. This was his operation, his idea, and the blood was on his hands.

That brought them back to the courtyard, Muran lighting the house up before they piled into the vehicles and took off toward the rendezvous point.

Karé kicked the back of Poe’s seat. “Fuck!”

“What?” Muran shouted back.

“What do you mean, what? That was a shit job back there. We don’t leave messes like that!”

Poe had to agree with her, but there wasn’t time for that. As they approached the road, Jess radioed back to let them know the family was trying to get back in.

“Take it slow.”

Poe did, sliding past the armored SUV at what felt like a snail’s pace. One of Plutt’s kids opened his window, getting a good look at Poe.

He choked down the bile rising in his throat.

***

Rey pulled the van up to Plutt’s gate. It had been a tense two-hour drive up here in the pouring rain, her stomach churning the entire time. Checking the rear-view mirror, she watched Finn pull up behind her in his beat up Ford. This was the final hurdle.

The guard stopped her at the gate.

“What’s this?” he asked her in rapid Spanish, pointing to Finn’s car behind her.

She replied in equally fast Spanish, her nerves getting the better of her. “I’m here to drop off this van, and then my friend is taking me home.”

Her heart pounded while the guard looked at her for a long moment, rain dripping down the hood of his jacket. “That idiot didn’t tell me.” With a shake of his head, he walked back to the gate, opening for her to go through.

The breath she’d been holding came out in a whoosh, Rey trying not to look too relieved. As soon as it was open, she pulled through the gate, parking the van off to the side. From what Poe had told her, the operation began as soon as she was clear.

Running back through the gate, she was soaked by the time she dropped into Finn’s passenger seat.

“All good?” he asked, fiddling with the radio.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

The rendezvous point was buried deep in the jungle, an old airstrip that had seen better days. Poe had only brought her here once, so she was going off pure memory as she gave Finn directions. Problem was, everything in this damn jungle looked the same.

“Left here. No, no, wait. Next left.”

The slip of paper with the coordinates sat folded in her pocket, but she wasn’t supposed to turn on her phone or type it into the app unless it was an emergency. Something about tracking.

The next turn brought them to a familiar looking sign, Rey smiling in relief. They were here. Now, all they had to do was wait for Black Squadron to show up in 40 minutes and they were home free.

They sat on the bumper under the clearing skies, neither willing to make small talk as 30, 40, 50 minutes passed. Rey’s knee bounced up and down, the movement shaking the car. Something was wrong. They should have been no more than 40 minutes behind them. What had Poe called it? A hard out. A 40-minute hard out.

Finn put a hand on her knee, stilling the motion. “Are you sure this is the place?”

Rey nodded. “I’m sure.”

It was silent for a second, Finn working up his nerve to say something.

“Do you,” he started, stopping immediately to collect his thoughts. “Is it possible they aren’t coming? Could he have lied?”

It was a valid question, one Rey was asking herself. Even if they got delayed - took a wrong turn, got held up at the house - they should have been here by now. There was no way the family would be gone over an hour for church.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that Poe would betray her like that. He’d promised, and despite her own lies and broken promises, he’d never gone back on his word with her. At least, not yet.

“No,” she said, her voice firm. “He’ll be here.”

And it was well past an hour when they heard vehicles approaching from the narrow dirt road. Finn put a hand out when Rey jumped to her feet, a caution to make sure it was Black Squadron before she took off.

The van she procured was the first to arrive, followed by an SUV she recognized as belonging to the guards. That wasn’t right, the SUV should have been at church with the guards and the family. Why the hell did they have it?

They piled out of the vehicles, everyone starting to unload the bags. Besides Poe, there were two women, one with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail and the other with a short, spiky cut in platinum blonde, a stocky dark haired man and the deep voice from the shipping yard.

Ponytail called out to Poe, “your girlfriend’s here,” her tone making it clear what she thought about that.

Rey's face heated, Finn watching her as Poe made his way over. She hadn’t lied to Finn, not really. Maybe she’d glossed over some of the details, but it was for his own safety. Even admitting she knew Poe’s real name made her a target. He’d been clear about that.

At least he looked to be in one piece. A little nervous, his forehead lined in a deep frown, but without a scratch on him. His face softened as he approached.

“Did you get out ok?” Poe squeezed her hand briefly, reaching into the trunk to grab their bags. Finn’s eyes widened next to her. “We’re almost there.”

The rifle strapped to his chest bounced as he hauled the duffles over to a scale already piled high with bags. Unless they were all heavy packers, it looked like they stole a lot more than $70 or $80 million.

“Rey,” whispered Finn, his eyes on the dark-haired man tending to a gunshot wound on his stomach, “What are you not telling me?”

“Later,” she whispered back. She didn’t want to draw any more attention to their unwelcome presence. They still needed these people to get out of here.

Black Squadron continued to unload the van in silence, pulling more and more bags to drop on the scale. She knew the numbers, hell she was the one doing the math, so it was obvious that this wasn’t only Plutt’s money. This shit was not what she signed up for. Even with Plutt dead (and no one had confirmed that yet), there would be people who noticed her absence. It wouldn’t take long for them to put two and two together.

The buzz of an engine broke the silence, a small puddle jumper approaching from the west.

Her heart sank as the single-engine plane landed in front of them. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one nervous.

“What the fuck are we gonna do with that thing,” muttered Ponytail.

The man with the bullet wound and Spiky Hair - a couple, Rey realized when she saw their matching rings - walked out to greet the pilot, two of the smaller bags in hand. There was a brief but friendly exchange before money changed hands and the pilot pulled out a small walkie-talkie.

Almost immediately, the deep whirring of helicopter blades echoed through the clearing, a huge, military bird appearing just over the trees.

Rey and Finn stood back as they scrambled to load the net and the chopper, some kind of disagreement breaking out.

“I don’t know if that scale’s fucked up, but it’s saying we’ve got 6,000 pounds here,” shouted Spiky Hair over the noise of the blades.

“6,000 pounds? That’s gotta be over $250 million.” That was Deep Voice shouting to Poe.

“We stole $250 million?” Poe looked less than thrilled by the knowledge, drawing the same conclusion she had. If they didn't get out of here soon, they were all fucked.

Ponytail joined the conversation. “If that scale’s right, we’re gonna have a weight issue.”

“What do you mean? This thing can take 9,000 pounds.” Rey liked Deep Voice less and less. Something told her that whatever made them late was his fault.

“Yeah, 9,000 pounds at barely 2,000 feet. To get to the ocean, we’ve got to make it over the Andes.” Oh, Ponytail must be the pilot.

Deep Voice was not budging. “We are not leaving $200 million on this runway. Are you sure we can’t make it?”

Ponytail appeared to be thinking it through, coming to a less than stellar conclusion. “Yeah, she’ll make it. But we gotta go.”

Rey grabbed Finn’s hand and stepped forward, but Deep Voice wasn’t done.

She wasn’t sure if he didn’t realize they could hear him or if he was just a dick and didn’t care, but the next words out of his mouth worried Rey more than she would have liked.

“What’s your plan for her? We’re already overweight.”

Poe was not having it. “We promised her a ride over the border to Takodana, and we’re gonna stand by that!” He motioned for Rey and Finn to come forward.

Placing a hand on her back, Poe guided her toward the helicopter. If she was being honest, he looked more nervous about this than she would have liked.

“What’s going on?” she asked, head ducking as they approached the blades.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re getting you to Takodana, I promise.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

But then they were in the chopper, the sound cutting off their conversation. He got them settled in a seat near the back, out of the way of the rest of the crew. They sat hugging their bags, the noise in the back making any attempt at talking pointless.

Despite that, Deep Voice continued to stare them down as they lifted off and headed for the border. The helicopter whined under the weight, but Ponytail had been right. They could make it.

It was full dark when they landed just outside of Takodana. This was her and Finn’s stop.

To her dismay, it was Deep Voice who escorted them out of the chopper, walking them a way before yanking Rey back by the arm.

“We’re gonna let you go now,” he said, like it was something he needed recognition for and not the deal she’d made all along. Even in the darkness, she didn’t like the look in his eye, like a cornered animal ready to strike.

“Thank you,” she answered. It rubbed her the wrong way that she needed to thank this asshole for not leaving her behind, but she needed to get out of here without him shooting her.

“I need to know one thing. What’s my name?”

Oh, shit. It was worse than she thought. She sent a silent thank you up to anybody listening that Poe had insisted on her remaining ignorant. Now she only had to convince Deep Voice.

“I don’t know.”

“And your buddy back there?" He pointed toward the chopper. "What’s his name?”

This felt like a trap, like no matter what she said he wasn’t going to believe her.

“I don’t know. He asked me to call him Pope.”

That wasn’t enough for Deep Voice. “Okay, I want you to be real careful about what you say next because the only thing that ties us to Plutt is you.” Shit, shit, where was Poe? He was supposed to be the one out here with their new IDs and money. “Now, when you finally had sex, and you rolled over and looked him in the eye and asked ‘what’s your real name?’ what did he say?”

Rey’s heart thundered at the (true) accusation. Did Poe tell him? How else would he know exactly what happened? Was this something Poe did often enough that they all knew about it? Or was it just a really good guess? Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Poe walking toward them.

“That never happened,” she insisted. There was no point in changing the story now, she was in too deep. “He never told me where he was from, he just told me that you guys had served together and you were honest.”

“Why would he say that?”

“Because I asked him if he trusted you. If he wasn’t afraid of you cheating him.”

That seemed to get through to him as Poe walked up from where he had been listening. “Everything all right?” he shouted, Deep Voice turning to look at him.

She let go of a shaky breath, Finn squeezing her hand. When she looked over, Finn’s eyes blazed in the light from the chopper, his glare directed at the back of Deep Voice’s head.

“No,” answered Deep Voice before stomping off toward the waiting helicopter.

Finn, recognizing the situation, dropped her hand and started to walk toward the city lights in the distance.

Rey turned to Poe.

“Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping her in a quick hug. For his sake (and maybe hers), she hoped that no one could see them from the windows of the chopper.

She wasn’t okay, but now was not the time for truths. This was obviously a goodbye. “I’m fine.”

“This is $3 million.” He dropped two of the small duffles at her feet, handing her a large manila envelope. “And here are two tickets and visas to Sydney, Australia. On the way to the airport, stop at this shipping company.” He pointed to something written on the envelope. “And send the boxes to this hotel in Sydney.”

“You know there’s a lot more than $75 million in there. There must have been more than just Plutt’s money in the house. A lot more people are going to come after you now.”

“I can live with that. But you cannot stay in South America. They will find you and they will kill you.” Taking her face in his hands, he implored her, “promise me you won’t stay here.”

“Ok.”

“Promise me!” he shouted, his voice going out.

“I promise!”

He cut her answer off with a kiss, Poe’s mouth rough and insistent on her own. As quickly as it started, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers while they both caught their breath.

“How will I find you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“You can’t.” His smile was sad as he cupped her cheek. “I love you.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. It was the first time anyone had said that to her.

Pulling back for a second, he reached for the chain around his neck. “I want you to have this.” His voice was really failing now, barely making it over the noise.

“I can’t, it’s your mother’s, it’s meant for-”

“You. It’s meant for you.” He put the chain over her head. “I’m sorry it had to end like this.”

She pressed her lips to his one final time. “I love you, too.”

“Take care of yourself.” He stepped back. “Now, go!”

Grabbing the bags, she turned and ran toward Finn. With every step, she waited for the final blow to fall, for Deep Voice to take matters into his own hands, but the shot never came.

She refused to look back as the sound of the chopper faded in the distance.

Instead, she wiped her eyes and tucked the necklace into her shirt, focusing only on the road ahead. They had a lot of ground to cover if they wanted to make it to Takodana before sunrise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the heist, Rey gets a surprise in Sydney.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter (which is honestly more of an epilogue)! Enjoy!

It had been nearly three weeks, but Rey was finally settling in to life in Sydney.

She and Finn had walked through the night to the shipping company as instructed. There were no questions asked as they packaged up the bags of money, Rey and Finn pocketing as much as possible, just in case. But the money made it, and so did they.

Three weeks and she’d stopped looking over her shoulder at every turn, expecting someone from her old life to end this new one. Poe had been true to his word, providing flawless documentation for their new identities. She and Finn were now Kira and Mike, a couple of friends from Sussex relocating to Sydney for vague health reasons.

They found a cute two-bedroom in the nice part of town. The rent was obscene, but the views were spectacular, and they both had legitimate jobs now, anyway. Her new job as a bookkeeper didn’t pay that well, but she couldn’t afford to be picky with the gaping hole in her work experience. Turns out, you couldn’t put “Bookkeeper to Kingpin” on your résumé if you wanted to get hired.

Rey’s major splurge so far was the biggest, most comfortable bed she’d ever laid on, a treat to herself for surviving the last year. Though, as much as she loved it, the empty bed acted as a painful reminder of what she had lost as she tossed and turn alone at night.

She thought of Poe often, always reaching for the ring around her neck. Finn was kind enough not to bring it up, though she had told him everything as they made the long journey from Takodana to Sydney. He’d been patient and kind as she stumbled through the whole sordid affair, listening without judgement. But she couldn’t handle the pity in his eyes when she admitted she still loved Poe. He couldn’t seem to understand that it was something more than a mutually beneficial arrangement that brought them together. Not that it mattered anymore. She’d never see Poe again.

She dug her toes in the sand. It was a perfect day for the beach, though if she was being honest, every day so far had been a perfect day for the beach. It was summer down here, after all. And as such, she and Finn spent as much time as possible in the sand, Rey’s pale skin turning a lovely shade of tan. Even the dusting of freckles on her face had become more prominent, a development Rey wasn’t sure about yet.

Finn and Rose were off playing volleyball with the rest of their coworkers from the coffee shop, leaving Rey alone with her thoughts.

She liked Finn’s new friend, a sweet girl who thought he hung the moon. They thought they were being slick, but Rey had caught them making out more than once in the last week, always choosing to back out of the room slowly rather than let on she knew. She was happy for Finn, she really was, though she was also secretly glad she didn’t need to talk to him about it.

Absently, she wondered if he had told her the truth yet. How would Rose take the news that Mike and Kira were actually Finn and Rey, on the run from a notorious drug lord? Would she bolt? It was probably too soon for those kinds of truth.

Speaking of, Rose and Finn approached the blanket, dropping hands when they noticed her looking. It was sweet how concerned Finn was about her feelings, but she needed to come clean. They shouldn’t have to sneak around just because Rey was heartbroken.

“Hey, we’re gonna head back to the apartment and watch a movie. You ready?” Finn gathered his towel and Rose’s beach bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

Rey looked up at him from behind her sunglasses, trying to hide her knowing smirk as best she could. “You guys go ahead, I’m gonna stay a little longer.”

Finn gave her a long look, but he didn’t call her on it. Instead, he shrugged. “Don’t be too long, we’re gonna order chinese later.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” She smiled as they walked away, picking up her book from the towel.

Ten minutes later, she’d read the same paragraph five times, the words still escaping her. With a sigh, she shut the book, tucking it into her bag. It was no use. She couldn’t focus on anything. Maybe she’d take the long way home, give Finn and Rose a few more minutes alone.

She stepped into her shorts, stuffing her shirt into the bag before shaking out her towel.

“Rey!”

She froze, the voice at once familiar and completely unexpected here. Turning, she scanned the crowded beach.

There he was, looking out of place in his standard blue jeans and t-shirt, heavy boots sinking into the sand. Poe.

Then she was running. The sand shifted beneath her as she threw herself into his arms, Poe peppering her face with kisses. When he finally found her lips, she sighed into the kiss, his hands dragging sand across her bare skin.

“I like this look on you.” He took her playful swat with grace. Sobering up, he fingered the ring around her neck. “Especially this.”

“I haven’t taken it off,” she whispered, leaning in to his touch.

He closed the distance between them once more, his lips finding hers. Running across the seam of her lips, his tongue begged entry to deepen the kiss, Rey happy to oblige. He tasted like black coffee. Just like she remembered.

The heat rising in her chest had nothing to do with the sun as her fingers threaded through his curls, his own hands wandering across the expanse of her exposed skin. She pulled back, a little breathless, before things got too out of hand. Running a hand over his stubbly cheek, she still couldn’t quite believe it. He was here. He was actually here.

He came back for her.

“What are you doing here? Is everything ok?” She stepped back, taking a good look at him.

It looked like he hadn’t shaved in days, his scruff approaching full beard territory. She was a little shocked to find it peppered with grey, though it fit with the current state of his hair. The lines on his face left him looking more tired than she’d ever seen him, the dark circles under his eyes approaching bruise territory. They looked right at home with the rest of the scrapes and bruises that dotted his exposed skin. The stiff way he held his body left her wondering what other injuries his clothes hid.

“Poe, what happened?”

His eyes darkened at the question, a haunted look crossing his face that hadn’t there before. “We went down in the Andes. Too heavy. Got into it with some locals. They followed us over the mountain and killed Muran.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Shit, you don’t even know who that is. Tall guy, dark hair.”

“You guys all had dark hair.”

His face screwed up, trying to find another defining characteristic. “Light eyes, deep voice?”

“Oh, Deep Voice.” While they’d never seen eye to eye, and there were times she was downright terrified of the man, she took no satisfaction in his death. She squeezed Poe's hand. “I’m sorry, Poe. I know you two were close.”

He nodded, swallowing thickly before he went on. “Yeah, well, we dragged Muran’s body over the mountain. They were waiting for us on the other side. We barely made it to the boat.”

Jesus, no wonder he looked like shit. “And the money?”

“Dropped down a ravine somewhere in the Andes. There was no way to take it all, only what we could fit in our packs. We ended up with about $5 million at the end. Gave it all to Muran’s family. None of us wanted anything to do with it anymore.”

_Oh, Poe_ , she thought, reaching up to brush the tears from his face, _what did I tell you about greed?_

“Jess, our pilot,” he added for her benefit, “gave me this.”

She accepted the scrap of paper. Unfolding it, she found grouped numbers and symbols that took her a second to make sense of.

“Is this…”

“Longitude and latitude. Apparently, it’s where we dropped the cash.” Reaching down, he closed her hand around the paper. “It’s yours now. Whatever you want to do with it.”

She looked from Poe to the paper in her hand. This was the cause of all her problems. The job with Plutt, her weird situation with Poe, getting caught in the crossfire at the discoteca, even the confrontation with Muran, it all lead back to that money.

It was a no-brainer.

Looking around, she spotted a man with a grill a few feet away. Without looking back, she walked over, nodding toward the flame. “May I?”

The man narrowed his eyes at her, but nodded. With a flourish, she flicked the paper into the flame, watching as it caught, the flame creeping across the scrap until there was nothing but ash left on the coals.

Satisfied, she turned back to Poe, his smile so wide it crinkled his eyes.

“Excellent choice.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, one arm wrapped around his waist. “Come on, let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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